THE NEW TREASURE CHEST
By
It seems incredible that Mr. Adams' memorable Treasure Chest appeared as long ago as 1946. The years between have established his column in the New York Times Book Review where people clip and cherish those expanded aphorisms, those bits of reflective prose that happened to strike a spark. Now, for those devoted followers, and for others who enjoy reading random pieces at bedtime, here is another collection -- subtitled ""an anthology of reflective prose"". In no sense is either volume to be considered an exhaustive anthology. The sources of the world's prose would make any collection inevitably personal, both in selection and in appreciation. The ancient classics are deliberately omitted. The new volume contains more from Continental writers; 150 authors not represented in the first book are sampled here. With one exception, the extracts do not exceed 500 words -- in itself a limitation which excludes writers who need more compass for their expression. Assuredly here is a volume conforming to Holbrook Jackson's words: ""Books...in their most favorable moments of reception revitalize"". There is much in this collection that should ""revitalize"".