DALI AND ANGKOR

By gentle spoofing, humorous side hits, and quiet revelation of the unprepossessing aspects of the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra and various hitherto glamorously presented bits of the world, Geoffrey Gorer debunks the specific section of the Orient of which he writes, for tourists now and to come. He leaves virtually all his praise for Ball, which he says is miraculously unspoiled and unspoilable, with somewhat grudging credit to a few high spots in other sections. Lighter reading than his Africa Dances -- less scientific in content. Uneven in appeal. Certain anecdotes, sparsely scattered, are the best reading of all. Not a continuous narrative, nor to be classified as straight travel book, but rather a series of studies and sketches.