STRICTLY PERSONAL

A readable and witty collection of pieces from the author's column which, though they don't deal with sports, are pleasantly reminiscent of the style of Jimmy Cannon, noted sports columnist of the New York Post. He discusses the foibles of man, the social animal--example: the dishevelment of all travelers en route; speaks of daughter Carolyn and the piano; mourns the paucity of good old English swear words that are not obscenities; records his own love of good music; and, like Cannon and his ""Nobody Asked Me But"" columns, runs off a long list of his ""Purely Personal Prejudices""--examples: ""No voice on the radio sounds so sane or reassuring to me as that of Elmer Davis, who deserves some sort of special prize for emotional balance""; ""I would rather eat a hamburger than a steak, so that I can buy the recordings I want"". Good fun and good wit in the department of the light essay.