College and Research Libraries act like m e r c u r y o n glass when the analyst tries t o p u t a finger o n them. T h e c h a p t e r s o n c o r r e l a t i o n of m e t h o d s a n d o n systems d e s i g n d o n o t b r i n g o u t clearly e n o u g h the n a t u r e a n d m a g n i t u d e of the g a p n o w e x i s t i n g b e t w e e n systems d e s i g n a n d m a c h i n e d e s i g n . C l a s s i f i c a t i o n a n d cod- i n g systems h a v e n o t yet c a u g h t u p with ex- i s t i n g m a c h i n e p o t e n t i a l i t i e s ; d e s i g n e r s can say, " T e l l us h o w to p r o g r a m y o u r r e q u i r e - m e n t s a n d we e i t h e r h a v e a m a c h i n e to suit, o r we can m a k e o n e . " T h i s s i t u a t i o n m i g h t b e r e a d b e t w e e n the lines, t h o u g h the a c t u a l w o r d i n g s o m e t i m e s seems to s u g g e s t that m a c h i n e d e s i g n is b e h i n d r a t h e r t h a n a h e a d of systems d e s i g n . A g a i n , g r e a t e r clarity c o u l d h a v e b e e n a c h i e v e d in fewer w o r d s . T h e glossary of terms at the e n d is a u s e f u l f e a t u r e . E x c e p t i o n can b e t a k e n t o s o m e of the d e f i n i t i o n s , b u t u n a n i m o u s a g r e e m e n t i n this a r e a is r a r e . D i s s e n t e r s a r e f r e e to r o l l their o w n . T h e i n d e x of s y m b o l s is a l s o use- f u l . S i n c e the text says m u c h a b o u t i n d e x i n g , the i n d e x s h o u l d b e a n d is well d o n e ; the selection a n d a r r a n g e m e n t of e n t r i e s a r e c o m m e n d a b l e . — J u l i a n F. Smith, Lenoir- Rhyne College. Books West Southwest Books West Southwest, Essays on Writers, Their Books, and Their Land. B y L a w - r e n c e C l a r k Powell. L o s A n g e l e s : W a r d R i t c h i e Press (1957). If D r . Powell's l i b r a r y r u n s o u t of b o o k s o n e day h e m a y always r e p l e n i s h it with b o o k s of his own c o m p o s i t i o n . H i s latest collection c o n t a i n s twelve essays d i v i d e d i n t o three sections: A r i z o n a a n d N e w M e x - ico (with a s i d e g l a n c e at T e x a s ) , the Cali- f o r n i a coast a r o u n d B i g S u r , a n d L o s A n g e l e s with its n e i g h b o r s — t h e L a n d of the F u t u r e , m a y the L o r d h e l p us! W i t h e x c e p t i o n of those d e v o t e d to R o b i n - son J e f f e r s , the a u t h o r ' s chief literary en- t h u s i a s m , a n d to P r o f . J . F . D o b i e , the essays d e a l with the S o u t h w e s t a n d a selection of its l i t e r a t u r e . D r . Powell h a s e x p e r i e n c e d pow- e r f u l r e s p o n s e s to the u n i q u e c o l o r o f t h e S o u t h w e s t , a n d h e h a s n u r t u r e d a n d a m p l i - fied t h e m t h r o u g h m u c h r e a d i n g a n d writ- i n g . I n these essays h e a g a i n tries to r e p a y the d e b t he owes to the l a n d a n d the liter- a t u r e by s e t t i n g o u t " t o re-create in p r o s e w h a t m a k e s this c o u n t r y so i n c r e a s i n g l y m e a n i n g f u l a n d necessary to o n e . " H i s m e t h o d is to seek w h a t h e calls essences, which h e finds in " a l t i t u d e , d i s t a n c e , color, c o n f i g u r a t i o n , history, a n d c u l t u r e . " T o t r a n s m i t these m a t e r i a l s i n t o e v o c a t i v e p r o s e is his i n t e n t . D r . Powell's interest a n d r e a d i n g h a v e b e e n l o n g a n d w i d e , m a k i n g his essays a p l e a s a n t i n t r o d u c t i o n f o r those w h o h a v e lit- tle or n o e x p e r i e n c e with the states o r the b o o k s h e describes. U s i n g a selective m e t h o d (he d i s c l a i m s a n y a t t e m p t a t b e i n g exhaus- tive), h e r e l a t e s the effects which s o m e twen- ty-five b o o k s , chiefly novels, h a v e h a d o n his u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d e m o t i o n a l r e s p o n s e to C a l i f o r n i a a n d the S o u t h w e s t . H i s choice is i n t e r e s t i n g a n d we o w e h i m t h a n k s f o r r e m i n d i n g us a g a i n of W i l l a C a t h e r ' s b e a u - t i f u l Death Comes for the Archbishop a n d f o r r e v i v i n g H a n i e l L o n g ' s p r o f o u n d Inter- linear to Cabeza de Vaca. T h e c h a p t e r o n J e f f e r s p o r t r a y s h i m as a m a j o r p o e t a n d a u n i v e r s a l m a n . Particu- larly i n t e r e s t i n g is the c l a i m t h a t J e f f e r s h a d " G o e t h e ' s u n i v e r s a l m i n d , " s o m e six years a f t e r g r a d u a t i o n f r o m college. J e f f e r s himself is q u o t e d as w r i t i n g that h e " a l w a y s r a t h e r d i s l i k e d G o e t h e a n d his f a m e . " A j u d g m e n t is m a d e that J e f f e r s is c o m m i t t e d to classical m o d e l s , A r i s t o t e l i a n a n d others, while at t h e s a m e time he d i s p l a y s s o m e k i n d of C h r i s t i a n m o r a l i t y by c l e a v i n g a t h o r o u g h f a r e t h r o u g h c o m p l e x e m o t i o n t o a r r i v e at a " l y s i s , " a s e t t l e m e n t , a n d a n ad- j u s t e d b a l a n c e . It seems t o m e the case is n o t c o n v i n c i n g o n the b a s i s of the e v i d e n c e p r e s e n t e d . T h e a u t h o r uses a l a r g e n u m b e r of f o r e i g n w o r d s a n d p h r a s e s , s o m e of which a r e incor- rect o r i n c o n s i s t e n t . F o r e x a m p l e , p . 106, r e a d s todas i n s t e a d of todos; a c c e n t s a r e s o m e t i m e s p r e s e n t o n S p a n i s h w o r d s , some- times n o t ; two species of o a k a r e g i v e n S p a n i s h n a m e s u s u a l l y g i v e n to o t h e r spe- cies, a n d there a r e o t h e r puzzles, which m a y , however, b e t r a c e d to careless p r o o f r e a d i n g , as m a y b e a l s o a n u m b e r of w r o n g w o r d divisions. T h e b o o k is nicely p r i n t e d a n d p l e a s a n t l y b o u n d . — J o s e p h Rubinstein, University of Kansas. MARCH 1958 163-