CONFESSIONS AND SELF-PORTRAITS

The biographer of Washington, Madison and Jefferson has assembled here autobiographical selections ranging from an early Egyptian recording to an account by Prime Minister Nehru. The volume, relatively brief for an anthology, is arranged chronologically within seven historic epochs. The selections from Antiquity, the Middle Ages (St. Augustine, Abelard, Luther) and the Renaissance (Cellini, St. Theresa of Avila, Montaigne) are, of course, few. The section entitled ""Modern Europe"" offers the greatest scope. Included are the self-revelations and critical introspections of: Wordsworth, Newman, J.S. Mill, Wilde and Freud. The U.S. is represented by: Franklin, Jefferson (in an unusual personal glimpse), Henry Adams, Eugene Debs (who tells of his candidacy for the presidency undertaken while he was in prison), and Helen Keller. Each personal story or reflection on a theme -- art, love, imprisonment, war -- is abridged and should, therefore, be considered only as an introduction for one interested in making an acquaintance with some great and memorable persons.