A collection of some of McPhee's best--leisurely without ever dipping into boring. The three best pieces: The Headmaster, Oranges, and A Roomful of Hovings. The Headmaster is a brief and beguiling biography of Frank L. Boyden, the headmaster of the Deerfield School for 66 years, from 1902-1968. As amazing as the length of his tenure was, his career was more impressive in its energy and flexibility. In the years when the school was too small to field teams, Boyden stepped in and played as well as coached. Ever alert to the moods of individual students as well as to the tenor of the school, he spoke encouragingly and wisely to generations of students. An American Mr. Chips.
In Oranges, the history of the Florida citrus is told through a dense and entertaining web of anecdotes. Harriet Beecher Stowe's farm, and the allure of the "Indian River" label is explained. Most amusing of all is the Anhauser daughter (yes, of beer fame) who successfully posed as the Duchess of Naples.
In a Roomful of Hovings, the story of how one Thomas Hoving went from unimpressive bicycling youth to department store floor walker to the head of the New York Met and discoverer of the Cross of Bury at Saint Edmonds. The style of the piece, a verbal collage, is impressive, and well worth studying.
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