Meandering Streams of Plenty

The Generosity of Americans comes bound and has a jacket and costs $5.95 but is not a book. It is a random, unedited collection of the papers of a very distinguished and interesting gentleman, gathered as, for half a century, he pursued a romantic and colorful vocation as a professional money-raiser. About four-fifths of the material is of little interest. There are some disconnected observations about the history of philanthropy, an album of photographs of Mr. Marts’ favorite things and people, an appreciation of Mr. Marts by Norman Vincent Peale—the sort of thing that will interest his family and friends, but not the general reader.

But there is a redeeming section, about fifty pages long, of his confessions as a professional money-raiser. This is fascinating. Mr. Marts was one of the first professional money-raisers in America and, therefore, in history. He backed into the field when he was twenty-two, having at first been a YMCA under-secretary in Pittsburgh. As far as I can tell from the book jacket he is still at it and he is now seventy-eight.

RC

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Richard C. Cornuelle

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The Generosity of Americans comes bound and has a jacket and costs $5.95 but is not a book. It is a random, unedited collection of the papers of a very distinguished and interesting gentleman, gathered as, for half a century, he pursued a romantic and colorful vocation as a professional money-raiser. About four-fifths of the material is of little interest. There are some disconnected observations about the history of philanthropy, an album of photographs of Mr. Marts’ favorite things and people, an appreciation of Mr. Marts by Norman Vincent Peale—the sort of thing that will interest his family and friends, but not the general reader.

But there is a redeeming section, about fifty pages long, of his confessions as a professional money-raiser. This is fascinating. Mr. Marts was one of the first professional money-raisers in America and, therefore, in history. He backed into the field when he was twenty-two, having at first been a YMCA under-secretary in Pittsburgh. As far as I can tell from the book jacket he is still at it and he is now seventy-eight.