Europe: A Tapestry of Nations

Riverside, New Jersey, U.S.A.: Simon & Schuster, 1987. First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 6 1/4" X 9 1/2. 587 Pages Indexed. Grey boards with red clost quarter-spine with gold lettering. Dust jacket had unclipped price $22.95. No defects noted. Interior text pages are flawless. Flora Lewis, author of The New York Times twice-weekly Foreign Affairs column, is the most entertaining, shrewdest observer of Europe since The New Yorker sent Janet Flanner to Paris. To Europe, she brings objectivity, a pragmatic American sensibility, and a lifetime of European experience. She captures the character and culture of the continent whose diverse geniuses and nations represent Western civilization at its richest, liveliest, and most charismatic. In graceful, never-before-published country-by-country portraits, Lewis recreates the essence and distinct personality of each nation. She shows us the themes most crucial to the whole of Europe today-the after- math of colonialism, socialism, terrorism, the East-West conflict, bilingualism, regionalism-in the context of the countries that reflect them most vividly. In addition, Lewis shines as a sophisticated, wise, and sympathetic observer of the foibles and idiosyncrasies that characterize each nation. She shows us the English, secure in their civil, honorable ways, mistrusting the sly greed of their French neighbors, yet envying their joyous grasp of the good life. The French, in turn, scoff at the crude mercantilism of the English while rather admiring their sedate, imperturbable elegance. Europe can be read in its entirety as an overall report on the current state of the European scene. Or readers can sample the chapter profiles individually for a look at the ambivalent attitudes that distinguish each nation. Monumental in scope but utterly approachable in style, Flora Lewis' Europe is an evocative, absorbing assessment of all the elements shaping this influential civilization's modern identity. Part One is Western Europe and Part Two is Eastern Europe