A warmly sympathetic but one-dimensional biography of the American Left's most fearlessly independent journalist. Cottrell (History/California State Univ.) concentrates on I.F. ``Izzy'' Stone's journalistic career and the evolution of his political beliefs. That career had roughly three phases. It began dazzlingly in 1931, when Stone was hired by the Philadelphia Record; at age 24, he was the youngest editorial writer on a big- city paper in the country. Later, Stone spent five years with the pro-New Deal New York Post before moving to smaller, left-wing publications such as The Nation. When most of these magazines were killed by the cold war, Stone started his now-legendary I.F. Stone Weekly, in 1953. This second phase of his career lasted until 1971, when he closed down the profitable Weekly for health reasons and began an active semi-retirement that lasted until his death in 1989. Stone's politics were remarkably consistent: All his life he sought to reconcile Jeffersonian ideals of freedom with Marxist socialism. He had a horror of sectarianism and was thus an enthusiastic supporter of the Popular Front in the 30's and an inspiring role model for New Left activists in the 60's. Cottrell documents all this (and Stone's extraordinary prescience about Vietnam) conscientiously, though unfortunately rehashing the history of the Left in the process. Izzy's voice is seldom heard: Though Cottrell interviewed Stone and some of his family, his account is woefully short on anecdotes and barely touches on Izzy's personal growth. The Philadelphia socialist M.V. Leof, a ``surrogate father'' for Izzy, gets one paragraph; the dark time in 1950, when Stone spent ten months overseas and considered leaving the States for good, also gets the briefest of references. Well researched, but flavorless and flabby; the work seems longer than it is because Cottrell tells you everything three times. (Twelve b&w illustrations.)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 1992
ISBN: 0-8135-1847-4
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Rutgers Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1992
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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