Connecticut Books

Cities were hot, the country was cooler. This condition before air-conditioning led to summer theatre in America, beginning early in the twentieth century. Later on there would be other incentives for the tonier summer theatres, especially near enough to New York City: summer reruns meant television stars could headline on the summer stage. It was part Straw Hat Circuit, and part tryout venue for Broadway.

But the Westport Playhouse in the affluent Connecticut town also began with high artistic purpose. Its fascinating founder, Lawrence Langner, had already begun elevating the quality of New York theatre by the example of his Theatre Guild productions. He divided his time between theatre and a very successful patent business, scrupulously keeping them separate, but he did transfer at least one idea from one to the other. "All my [patent] clients have research departments to develop new products," he said. "The summer theatre must serve the same function for new plays and for playwrights, for actors and technicians, for directors and stage designers."

Though this large format book is liberally illustrated and generously sprinkled with celebrity names, the text is substantial. With this informal, almost conversational history of some 75 years of this unique theatre inevitably says a lot about American theatre in general.

Westport experimented with various formats and seasons, hit its stride in the 30s and 40s, had great years and not so great through the 50s, 60s and 70s (and the author doesn't pretend the misses were hits), nearly closed in 1989 and stumbled through the 90s, until its latest rebirth began in 2000 when Joanne Woodward became Artistic Director. Westport's 2002 production of "Our Town" with Paul Newman was seen by additional millions on television. Newly renovated, Westport continues to nourish theatre in its many forms with a mix of classics and new plays. Even out there in the country it fulfills a basic element of civilization: to bring live productions together with live audiences in as ancient and as human an experience as we have.

Cozzens' lesser novels are nevertheless enviably well-written. This one is the story of George Bull, the last of a dying breed of general practice physicians in New England in the 30s. Bull is extremely memorable -- a man living in the present, with few regrets, but coping with the cynicism that comes from watching patients die regardless of the level of care. When a public health crisis splits the town into factions, Bull's fate as a doctor hangs in the balance. This is an apt fictional counterpart to John McPhee's "Heirs of General Practice"

In 1969, the prestigious nature writer Jean Craighead George authored a series of thirteen books, each one focusing on a different season and an animal who survived during that time, all over the country. The books were called THE THIRTEEN MOONS and featured THE MOON OF THE ALLIGATOR, BEAR, CHICKAREE, DEER, FOX PUPS, MOLE, MONARCH BUTTERFLY, MOUNTAIN LION, OWL, SALAMANDER, WILD PIG, WINTER BIRD, and GRAY WOLVES (see my review of these books under THE MOON OF THE OWLS). These books featured simple black-and-white illustrations and went out of print. Two decades later in 1992 they made a comeback with lavish color illustrations, though they retained their poetic wording and intriguing subjects. But then the Thirteen Moons again went out of print. Now, to avid nature lovers' and readers' delight, they are back! The thirteen hardcover books have been compressed into four paperback ones, each one containing three or four stories about different animals, along with a few of the more recent color illustrations. The titles have changed; instead of the Thirteen Moons the series is now, perhaps slightly less majestically, Seasons of the Moon. AUTUMN MOON is the first to be released and features the MOON OF THE. . .DEER, ALLIGATORS, and GRAY WOLVES in their entirety. These outstanding stories pitting wild animals against the elements of nature are unforgettable. The descriptions are lively and very authentic. You can really see the young spike buck as he flees from the hurricane of September, feel the October humidity of the Everglades with the Florida alligator, and feel the chill in the air as the gray wolves trek through Alaska searching for food in snowy November. As for the illustrations, only a small portion of the ones from the reprinted 1992 versions are reproduced, and these hardly do the beautiful paintings any justice. Still, they do add to the stories, and it's nice that they were included. After reading AUTUMN MOON, be sure to read WINTER MOON, and SPRING and SUMMER MOON will be released in February of 2002. Ms. George has written nearly 80 other books for young readers. But the fineness of her nature writing is demonstrated in this amazing series.

I am a veteran of Gerry Brooks' cycling tours in NYC, and was saddened to learn that he's no longer running them on a scheduled basis. So I was really pleased to see this book, which contains the routes, driving directions and other key information relating to the Brooks Country Cycling Daytrips. The trips are fun, varied, pretty, and the routes are designed for quiet and safe cycling. They are designed for casual cyclists who want to enjoy the outdoors and have some fun. The option legs do cater to the more fitness-oriented among the crowd, too. The only quarrel I have with the book is that the drive time estimates seem either very optimistic, or Gerry drives with a lead foot. I would generally say that the drive times are 15-45 minutes longer than stated in the book. But otherwise, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

The maps in this book are very localized - Boston, the Berkshires, mid Maine Coast. So depending on where you are, you either get a bunch of rides or none at all. Only Vermont is really fully represented.

The maps are clearly drawn and good, and work well in conjunction with a GPS. The directions are broken out by consecutive mile, which is the way I like it, but they should also provide the "miles to next leg" information too for people who prefer that.

The book offers thorough information on dress, etiquette, food and more. It suggests you take it easy - "don't be goaded by others into riding a tour that you feel unprepared for."

Good challenging rides for those who want to drive out and do a 50-100 mile ride somewhere beautiful. Again, because of the length and the fact that you're probably going a distance from home, I definitely suggest bringing a GPS and scoping out which businesses are still in business for food and other necessities beforehand.

Working with the unorthodox naval architect Philip Bolger, Mr Hume designed and then built a very cute little gaff-rigged cutter named "Blueberry." This book is Hume's account of the design and construction process. He also rambles on at some length about sailing Blueberry around the Connecticut shoreline.

Hume does a fairly good job of describing the design process give-and take, and incorporates actual correspondence between himself and Bolger. There are also good drawings which illustrate the evolving design. However, anyone looking for a treatise on boatbuilding a la Chapelle or Steward will be disappointed in the book. Also, I was annoyed by Hume's weenie liberal perspectives which were made evident during his narrative about crusing Blueberry.

All in all, it's worth a look. And the boat is a cute little thing.

Reading this book about Calder's work makes me want to bend a wire clothes hangar into nifty loops and spirals ... just for the fun of it.

Calder's art is BIG TIME fun, on every scale from immense graceful outdoor sculptures to strikingly elegant necklaces and pins. The book shows the variety of his creations...tapestry motifs, silver and brass cutlery, campaign posters. Check out his clever pull toy for a toddler.

Mobiles is probably Calder's most familiar category of work, but his playful menagerie, including a kangaroo, an elephant, a giraffe, a big bird and a flock of origami-size birds is his most endearing.

Photos and narrative, together, convey the wit and warmth of the sculptor. They offer opportunity to meet Calder, his wife, and their circle of friends.

Calder, by fine example, inspires one to lighten up and love it. This book is written permission to do exactly that, be it, high brow, low brow or no-brow.

"Basketball-bellied men in their fifties heaved themselves out of the low seats of the cars at midnight and went into the doughnut shops carrying police-band radios and wearing camouflage jackets and multicolored baseball caps." What sets Alan Sternberg's stories apart is his ability to capture the physical and emotional sense of what it means to be in the working class today. Written in the early '90s in Connecticut, his collection of short stories remains one of the finest examinations of small-city American culture.

One of the great problems in studies of the Old Testament is knowing when a particular book was accepted as canonical. Indeed, there is disagreement about the meaning of the word "canonical"; I take it to mean divinely inspired and fitted to be treated as part of scripture. A related problem is when the canon was closed, so that no further books could be added and, equally, none could be removed. There is a vast store of evidence on these questions in the Rabbinic writings from 1300 to 1900 years ago. However, the information is very difficult for the non-initiated reader to understand. Sid Leiman, a master in his field, has extracted all the relevant evidence and provides a thorough explanation. The book is not easy going, and may require two or three readings before you can grasp all of its rich store of information, but do persevere if you are interested in this subject.

When this book arrived it was a surprise how big it is, and how beautifully made. The pages are large, 12 by 11 inches, and there are lots of illustrations and photos. The information is extensive. It is very well organized, and each section has a good bibliography after it to facilitate further research. Whether you are interested in the New Haven area, particular areas of industry such as clockmaking or carriage manufacturers, workplaces in the proceeding centuries, or urban planning and development, you will find interesting and useful information in this book.