hyping yet another book. When one of his creations disappoints me, and I so advise people, it invariably leads to a conversation about his many works. And then I resemble the radio listener who says he ‘‘hates”’ my program and lists as reasons the last 200 shows I’ve done. Such listeners we should purchase. My library's ‘‘Canadiana”’ non-fiction section is a literary slag heap (books by every flunky who ever worked for a Prime Minister and assorted other in- anities) laced with a few dia- monds: the acerbic wit and wisdom of Dalton Camp, the out- sianding journalism and histories of Peter C. Newman, some ex- cellent biographies, the brilliant oral portraits of Barry Broadfoot and then this large, large shelf of Bertons. For the information of those who like the literary touch on res- taurant walls, | estimate that my Bertons weigh about 30 pounds. Berton’s transmission has many gears. There are the high school essays (Drifting Home); the pure avarice (republishing The Mysterious North); the mean- ingless commercialism (about the Dionne quints) and just plain nonsense (Hollywood's Canada). Then there are the picture . books that no one remembers. (I wonder why?) But out of this unique smorgasbord emerges a few land- mark publications: Klondike, The National Dream, The Last Spike and Vimy. Other critics may add one or two more Berton titles to this list. Any one of these is a career triumph. To do at least four ina lifetime rivals the Micheners and Wouks of our generation. He is currently promoting The Great Depression. There is nothing in it I haven't réad be- fore. The anecdotes — and there are many — seem like needless appendages and distractions. On page one and for 100 there- after, my skeptical yawns propell- ed me along. - At page 500, I felt as if I had been hit by a truck. This litany of redundant prose, and strident assertion of left wing virtue reaches up and grabs the reader. It is what military strategists call a flank attack and football com- mentators refer to as being blind- sided. You think ‘you are reading about 1935. But what disturbs you Toys, Hobbies, Trains v y. AMBLESIDE TOYS ’"N HOBBIES 1425 Marine Dr., West Van. a Ce") 922.3512 YOU HOL TO YOU / ta WHY RISK IT ALL? £@ Berton’s many books weigh down the shelf PIERRE BERTON rolled through town this past week are your [990 values. Berton writes about an era when balanced budgets and business leaders inflicted untold misery upon people. On the one hand you see the strident communism of Arthur Evans, or the democratic con:- munism of Tim Buck. : On the other, you see the distinguished Timothy Eaton Company inflicting untold cruelty upon its employees. Berton portrays Conservative R.B. Bennett as a hopeless buf- foon and Liberal MacKenzie King, with his resident ghosts, as insen- sitive, thoughtless custodians of the Prime Minister’s office, the one no better than the other. Public starvation was a small price to pay for ‘‘sound’”’ financial management. But is wasn’t sound. War forc- ed government into debt. Unemployment was solved by mil- itary recruitment. Money went in- to circulation. Retailing pro- spered. And everything got better. There is at least one hero: the founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, precursor to the New De.iscratic Party: J.S. Weodsworth. His quiet dignity and remarks that are now part of history are as pro- found today as they were then. Bruce Hutchison, a legend of Canadian journalism, describes the book as Berton’s best. I don’t think so. The Great Depression is probably the most intriguing. The federal Conservative Party, foolishly thinking its enemies are in the Senate, has little to crow about. 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