From biography of the romantic type which enlivened the facts and figures which surrounded the lives of Byron and Disraeli, Andre Maurois has turned to a more embracing history. In "The Miracle of England" we find not the romance of the biographies, not their witticisms, not, perhaps, their personality, but rather, as its English title suggests, merely "A History of England."

For the eminent and painstaking scholar, Maurois' history will present very little that is new in the interpretation of Britain's past. To the uninitiated or the casual student, the book will provide a well rounded, clearly thought out study of "England from the earliest times to the accession of George VI--the drama of a small barbaric island's rise to mastery over a third of the globe."

The secret of England's glory, according to Maurois, was not the character of her people, it was not climate or her natural impregnability, it was her isolation. Before the advent of the airplane, the submarine, and the speedier steamboat, England was open to attack from the water, and efforts such as the Spanish Armada, when fleets of sailing vessels were the chief cause for worry, bring to light her virtual isolation. To this "miracle" more than any other is due the unique individuality which exists in that small country. To this are owed the great achievements along literary and along imperialistic lines. It is today, when Britain is no longer an isolated country, that the test of her greatness and her powers of protection will be called into play.

"The Miracle of England" is no great contribution to literature or history as such, but it is a pleasing mingling of the two which makes it valuable. Behind the chronicle of events which of necessity makes up the backbone of a history, lies the real merit of the book. This is its presentation of life and the excellence of its style. For these, it deserves its place in the American as well as the English library. J.G.B., Jr.