SHORTER NOTICE
Switzerland. By John Russell. (Batsford. Iss.) SWITZERLAND has been amply described, depicted and celebrated in recent years, ani Mr. Russell's explanation of his decision to add one more volume to the lengthening row is not superfluous. He has written about Switzerland, it appears, because he is an enthusiast on Switzerland, and has concentrated on the generally dis- regarded areas. The result is a book which the author evidently took pleasure in writing but not every reader will necessarily take equal pleasure in reading, for it is not an adequate guide to the history or geography of the country, and does not profess to be, but rather a mirror of what Mr. Russell calls his "affectionate prejudice "—which may or may not coincide with other people's prejudice. Mr. Russell is incorrigibly, but it would seem deliber- ately, digressive. 4n itinerary which includes Coppet, Lausanne and the Valais prev,ides more of Madame de Stael, Gibbon and Rilke respectively than anything but Mr. Russell's "affectionate prejudice " requires. But after all it is the affectionate prejudice that justifies the book. It is a subjective study. And to those who may question, after fifty pages or so, whether they really want to see all Switzerland through Mr. Russell's eyes and the medium of his rather self-conscious style the pictures which form so prominent a feature of this as of all Batsford books may be commended.
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