Books: Bomb or Pearl?

THE SEED BENEATH THE SNOW—Ignazio Silone—Harper ($2.75).

This novel about Fascist Italy is by no means a perfect book, but in some respects it may be a great one. It will mean little to those who use politics to butter their daily bread and not much to those for whom politics is the breath of life. But it will mean much to those who prefer to be human beings despite all politics. They may be appalled by the price. In Ignazio Silone's judgment, the price has not changed since Gospel days: he who would gain...