Essential Whole Earth Catalog

Library Journal

From the back-to-the-land, hippie, California, laidback outlook of its predecessors to this much more Yuppie-oriented publication, the Whole Earth books emerge as a microcosm of American society. The new edition differs in size (it's smaller8 x 11), yet the layout is familiar. Crafts and nature can still be found; missing are such amenities as hot tubs, recreational drugs, alternative lifestyles, cheap air fares, etc. One crazy juxtaposition has Judaism/Islam as an entry. The section on libraries has been expanded to include three pages of ``Great Reference Books'' (yes, World Book Encyclopedia is prominently displayed). How nice to have an old favorite revived. Good for browsing, good for reference. Paul M. Zieselman, Sarah Lawrence Coll. Lib., Bronxville, N.Y.