Editors' bookshelf;

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The Editors' Bookshelf
The six. weeks before Christmas are the biggest season in book buying, because books are the most versatile of gifts. They come in all prices and sizes, are appropriate for a wide range of tastes and purposes. They are easy to wrap, inexpensive to mail, and can usually be exchanged at the local bookstore. The editors of H&S Reports suggest the following titles for the gift-giving season, or for your own reading.
At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends, by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Avon (paper-back), 1968, 372 pages, 95¢; also Dou-bleday (hardcover), 1967, 400 pages, $6.95.
When, relief from responsibility fin-ally gave Dwight D. Eisenhower time to reflect on his full life, and some years after he had completed his definitive war memoirs, entitled Crusade in Eu-rope, he sat down with a tape recorder and gave his life story to the American people in his last book, At Ease.
Anyone interested in how Ike came by the extraordinary qualities that so endeared him to people of many na-tions and won their trust, will find clues in these "stories I tell to friends." These are warm yarns crackling with humor and spanning the years from Abilene to the White House. Among the clues are devotion to his parents and ap-preciation of the upbringing they gave
their sons. "One circumstance that helped our character: we were needed. I often think today of what an impact could be made if children believed they were contributing to a family's essential survival and happiness."
A first-rate raconteur, this former client of our Firm tells stories on him-self, candid, revealing stories about Mac Arthur, Marshall, Churchill, and humorous stories about cadets at West Point and soldiers in the field. His guard-down willingness to share him-self with his fellow countrymen is doubtless born of his unshakable faith in people, particularly Americans, that radiates through these readable pages.
Living With Books: 116 Designs for Homes and Offices, by Rita Reif. The New York Times/Arno Press, 1969,118 pages, $3.95.
In this large-format soft cover book of text, photographs and diagrams of book shelving and storage designs in actual use, the pictures tell the story. Families with many books and few rooms will find here new ways of using odd spaces such as hallways, closets, the deep niche between structural col-umns, or a divider behind the sofa, for book storage. The styles range from "heavy elegant" to the simple and in-expensive, and serve masculine, fem-inine and juvenile needs. Homemakers will welcome several plans for keeping cookbooks handy in the kitchen. There are ways to work in stacked magazines with books, the use of a wall of books as a sound absorber, and mixing books and art objects for decoration. Names and addresses are given of companies that design and manufacture the equip-ment shown. Rita Reif of The New York Times, an H&S client, based this book on her articles in that newspaper.
Old Mr. Boston Deluxe Official Bar-tender's Guide, by Leo Cotton. Mr. Boston Distiller, Inc., 1969, 150 pages, $1.25.
First printed in 1935, this classic manual published by an old H&S client is now in its 47th printing with close to five million copies sold, most of them through liquor stores. In addition to giving hundreds of drink recipes listed alphabetically, it indexes drinks by type—such as gin drinks, Scotch drinks, fizzes, juleps, punches and sours. There are bar hints and measurements, and a section explaining common drink-making terms frequently misunder-stood. Highly recommended as a last-minute stocking stuffer for the bar-tender of the house.
Best sports Stories 1969, edited by Irving T. Marsh and Edward Ehre. Dutton, 1969, 336 pages, $5.95.
For the sports fan of any age who dreams of being out there on the sta-dium turf with the best of the pros, tliis collection of 50 outstanding news-paper and magazine sports articles pub-lished in 1968 is a real mood-setter. It is also reading that takes outsiders be-hind the scenes. For example, Glenn Hall, one of the great professional hockey goalies, is shown as suffering extremes of agony along with ecstasy from the game that has made him rich, in "An Hour or So of Hell" by Roger Kahn. And Bill Surface explains the CIA-like side of pro football in "Espi-onage: Footballs Silent Defense."
Best Sports Stories 1969 is the 25th in an annual series that has proved its value over the years. Appendices in-clude national and Olympic champions and 2,0 great sports action photos.
The Consumer's Handbook: 100 ways to get more value for your dollars, by
the editors of The National Observer. Dow Jones, 1969, 162 pages, $1.85. This elementary, down-to-earth paper-back compiled from a series of short articles that previously appeared in The National Observer, arms the consumer with facts, comparisons and sensible ideas on a wide range of available goods and services. It is especially ap-propriate for new homeowners and the newly married. The careful shopper can learn here the differences between real honest-to-goodness maple pecan ice cream, and the inferior variety of the same flavor that is 50% air and is made without maple syrup or pecans. For families moving into unfamiliar neighborhoods, "Selecting a Physician" outlines what credentials to look for and where to find them, why an in-ternist might make a better family doctor than a general practitioner, and why a physician on the staff of a teach-ing hospital is a wise choice. There are good tips on foreign language courses, rug cleaning services, saving gasoline, foiling burglars, finding a tree surgeon and dealing with appliance dealers. Many articles refer the reader to addi-tional sources of information.