Recent Books

COMPROMISE--Royal Wilbur France-- Dorrance ($2.50). Following close on the heels of Alvin Johnson (TIME, April 20), another economist takes to fiction, offering a case study of a bright young lawyer who chooses political success at the cost of his ideals. Professor France holds his own in following the slimy trail of corruption, slips into a bog of cliches in his love scenes. DEATH IS A LITTLE MAN--Minnie Hite Moody--Julian Messner ($2.50). Depressing description of the private lives of some Georgia Negroes, written in an un-nerving combination of literate English and darky dialect. A CRIME--Georges Bernanos--Dutton ($2). Consisting largely of jerky conversation, liberally peppered with dots and dashes, this unconventional murder tale is likely to antagonize the mystery-addict, despite the compelling, almost hypnotic quality of the characters. Non-Fiction THE HERITAGE OF THE CATHEDRAL-- Sartell Prentice--Morrow ($3.50). Offering the layman a rich interpretation of church architecture through the ages, this work should provide absorbing reading for conscientious tourists, many a pleasant hour for those who stay at home. WAR IN THE PACIFIC--Sutherland Den-linger and Charles B. Gary--McBride ($3). What every U. S. citizen should know about the Navy, and how it will defend the interests of the U. S. if and when a war with Japan breaks. The odds are in favor of the U. S., the authors conclude, "provided that there are not too many Americans to ask 'Why?' and remain dissatisfied with the answer they receive." FIFTY-FIVE MEN--Fred Rodell--Tele-graph Press ($2.50). A sharply realistic account, based on James Madison's notes, of the framing of the U. S. Constitution, demonstrating that the framers had hard-headed motives never portrayed in grade-school history texts; and that the Federalist papers were slick propaganda. THE METROPOLITAN OPERA, 1883-1935 --Irving Kolodin--Oxford ($3.75). A thorough, painstaking history of a great institution, with pungent sidelights on the Diamond Horseshoe, the various administrators and the outstanding singers. The author is a music critic for the New York Sun.

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