UP TO NOW

In this simple--too simple--autobiography of the póor but plucky lad from Billings, Montana, who eventually became Chairman of the mighty Bank of America, Lundborg waxes nostalgic about the joys of skinny-dipping, Halloween pranks, barrel-stave skiing, and declamation contests. Tales of halcyon youth and homely innocence and unrelieved goodness belie the powerful position the author attained in later life. Was it all such gosh-darned fun? We'll have to wait for another book for insight into the dynamics of corporate power-plays which certainly must have accompanied the rise of banker Lundborg. His Up to Now doesn't take us that far, and the only opposition appears to be straw men toppled handily by the gregarious good-will emissary in a pork-pie hat. Of course, it's pleasant to hear Cramps Lundborg reminisce about his dog Fido, Chautauqua evenings, life on the prairie, or his bridegroom days. But some tension would have made the homespun yarn more serviceable. In the next volume we'd like to hear the self-made man speak candidly about those times he must surely have said ""no more Mr. Nice Guy!