The proper Bostonians comprise a small group of a few hundred "first families," who have made Boston thought of in terms of the little poem that ends, "And the Cabots speak only to God." The book, by a member of one of the families, only occasionally attempts to bring sociological insight to the effects or the mores of the proper Bostonians, but it does give a graceful account that is filled with anecdotes and color.

An abundance of personalities makes the book an entertaining study. They participate in significant and generally amusing incidents that are friendly even when they show the Bostonians' aplomb in a seamy or mundane light. Mr. Amory does not commit the error of falling into satire, nor does he treat his subject with the glazed veneration that a member of the breed might easily have done. Instead, in the chapter entitled "Change and Status Quo," he sums up the pros and cons of having such a group, and indicates the transformations that time has wrought.

Unfortunately, Amory's anecdotal style does not wear too well, and after two hundred pages of tales about Mrs. "Jack" Gardner, Colonel Henry Lee, and Charles Francis Adams, a gentle monotony may make the attention wander. It is not surprising, then, that the most pleasant moment in the book is an interlude. Amory takes time out for, a full chapter to tell the story of the Parkman-Webster murder case, which almost burst a blue blood-vein of proper Boston in 1849. Giving the account with subdued excitement, he advances step by step through, what he calls America's classic murder case, and proves himself an excellent writer of narrative.

Another chapter, entitled "Harvard and its Clubs," is successful through its collection of interesting material, but it suffers from Amory's common sin of omission: not probing deep enough. Through the book, and even in the murder story, the author fails to tell "why." We may know all about Parkman's slaying, but nothing is said of the reasons why Boston was so shaken. But the old anecdotes bear repetition, and the new ones are often as good; so the book is generally a success, if taken as a collection of interesting memorabilia.