Books for Christmas

But Once A Year GUY DAVENPORT

MERICA’S PAST is the family album. A Our history long ago ceased to be oral; we have no epic, no folktales. Our history is peculiarly imagistic. —even a bridge-club hostess and a teen-ager can pick Washington, Lin- coln, FDR, JFK, and BJ out of a line-up of Presidents while remaining incapable of saying over seven words about any of them. It is therefore not surprising that when publishers put their best foot forward every Christ- mas their finest merchandise is the glorified family album.

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About the Author

Guy Davenport

But Once A Year GUY DAVENPORT

MERICA’S PAST is the family album. A Our history long ago ceased to be oral; we have no epic, no folktales. Our history is peculiarly imagistic. —even a bridge-club hostess and a teen-ager can pick Washington, Lin- coln, FDR, JFK, and BJ out of a line-up of Presidents while remaining incapable of saying over seven words about any of them. It is therefore not surprising that when publishers put their best foot forward every Christ- mas their finest merchandise is the glorified family album.