Editors' book-shelf;

              16
The Secret Life of the Forest
by Richard M. Ketchum.
American Heritage Press, 1970,
112 pages, $7.95.
Consider the tree—that very familiar
specimen of large scale, thick-boled
plant life. An argument can be made
that the tree, like the sun, is one of the
fundamental givers of life; a world
denuded of trees would suffocate from
lack of oxygen in a continuous flurry of
unchecked dust storms.
This absorbing book, conceived
and produced in cooperation with the
St. Regis Paper Company, amply
details the ecology of the forest and
explains how trees influence all forms
of life, including man himself. It offers
a fascinating introduction (or review)
for the adult to such disciplines as
botany, chemistry, zoology and forest
agriculture, with clear and concise
descriptions of such marvels as the
process of photosynthesis and the way
the cells of root tips push through
soil and stone.
The profuse illustrations—for the most
part full color drawings that are as
sharply detailed as fine photographs-will
enthrall your youngster. He'll
start asking questions, and you'll have
the answers right before you. If your
family visits a national park or forest
this summer, take this answer book
along. At least one group of
schoolchildren (see "The H&S Scene,"
page 22) have found the book an
invaluable asset in nature studies.
Interestingly enough, the illustrations
are from a series of ads sponsored by
St. Regis, an H&S client.
According to Hoyle
by Richard L. Frey.
Fawcett Crest Book (paperback), 1970,
272 pages, 95$.
Also in hardcover, Hawthorne, 1970,
320 pages, $4.95.
This book, as the title page says,
contains "official rules of more than 200
popular games of skill and chance with
expert advice on winning play." There
are several other how-to game books
with the name Hoyle on the cover to
suggest authenticity, but this clearly
written handbook has proved itself in
repeated editions through fifteen years
and more than a million copies.
Charles H. Goren, the bridge expert,
calls it "a bible for all game players."
Richard L. Frey, who wrote the article
on bridge in this issue of H&S Reports,
makes no pretense of being the original
Edmond Hoyle, the English authority
on whist, who died in 1769. Only a
few games, like bridge and canasta,
are governed by official rule-making
bodies. Frey emphasizes that the rules
of most older games, like poker, vary
with time and local custom: "Poker is
a game for the rugged individualist,
and every game reserves the right to
make its own laws. But any game will
profit by adopting one set of published
laws and abiding by it."
There is an excellent short, clear
section on the probabilities of poker,
with consequent advice on how and
when to bet—and when to drop. For
family groups there are card games for
children—among them Concentration,
which can challenge parents and
grandparents as well. For those lonely,
rainy days Mr. Frey's Hoyle offers a
variety of solitaire card games.
In addition there are guides to playing
such board games as checkers, chess
and backgammon, and an explanation
of the most popular of all dice games,
craps. In fact, a few minutes' study of
the pages devoted to the games such
as craps and blackjack played in the
Nevada casinos can help the
uninitiated visitor penetrate the
mystery that surrounds them.
IL
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