MIRACLE IN MOTION

A very well expressed survey of the industrial changes that have marked America's growth- from the early agricultural economy of the pilgrims up to automation-this furthers Katherine Shippen's record as a writer of substantial non-fiction for young readers. Where much of the material included will serve as specific reference to the different kinds of life in each period-, how a typical farmer managed his budget in the 1700's, a weaver's work in a New England textile mill, and so forth- the greater value of the book lies in the panoramic view presented of three hundred and fifty years of change. Perhaps a more thorough background of history will be needed to appreciate the meaning behind the industrial revolution, the spates of Utopias, the growing power of labor as a unified force in the face of the business moguls. Nevertheless there is something here for all who would increase that background.