LAST MAN IN PARADISE

This appears to be what is known as a ""man's book"". The author is a salesman whose hobby is big game hunting and who has managed, in pursuit of this hobby, to take vacations in Africa, Alaska, and India, despite his relatively small income and the fact that he is the sole support and custodian of a small son. The idea is intriguing and the adventures numerous -- but the personality of the author that emerges is not always an appealing one. In a manner that seems both superficial and pretentious, Mr. Hirsch digresses to make pronouncements upon such subjects as the motivations of the hunter, the future of Africa, and the state of civilized man. Early in the book he makes it clear that he does not care for civilization, and it develops that he has harsh words for many African and Indian natives, too. He even elaborately builds a chapter to the conclusion that the most dangerous big game (and presumably the most satisfying to hunt) are the Germans. Many readers will object to Mr. Hirsch's views- more than the locker-room style in which they are aired- but there's a good deal of raw adventure--- killing a man-eating tiger at a range of 12 feet, or hunting polar bear even though a muscle spasm in his back made it impossible for him to stand upright.