AN AMERICAN AT LARGE

Snob appeal- plus- in terms of mixing big business with big fun, as the social scene shifts to Paris, London, the English countryside, big game hunting in Africa, luxury cruising in the Far East, and the high spots of South America. This is the autobiography of a rich American businessman, son of the ""oleomargarine king"" in Chicago. The only authentic touch of drama in the book is the early business rivalry between father and son. From the time Jelke enters Wall Street the book reads like a vacuous society column,- Newport and New York society, rounds of parties, balls, yacht races, society dowagers and debutantes- all described with the reverence of a man who is grateful for his acceptance. His love affairs are described with a mixture of sophomoric pride and embarrassment. In the hands of a man of perception, wit, intellectual appreciation and writing skill, this material might have been made vastly amusing. Lacking these qualities, the author succeeds in marshalling a wealth of material for students of the society-of the '20's and '30's; but he murders his subject with his own attitudes.