Books: Christmas Books: Looking Backward

Even in a decade notable for instant nostalgia, 1974 is a remarkable year. The large books, primarily concocted for Christmas buyers, are marked by more longing to look backward than ever before. The trend may in part be due to the Bicentennial celebration that is shortly to engulf Americans; the first wave of titles about the American Revolution is already at hand. It may be too with the future looking the way it does, Americans (publishers as well as readers) simply want to celebrate, enjoy or just get acquainted with the American past....