At Random: The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf (Random House, 306pgs., $14.95)

At Random is not really a new book, but a reissue of Random House founder, Bennett Cerf's memoir, first published in 1977. New or not, it is just as fresh as when it was written. As a historical record of the Golden Age of American publishing, it is as insightful as it is readable.

The book's title is both a reference to Random House and a bit of wordplay on the manner in which the book was written. Cerf does not tell his story in strict chronological order. He moves from one decade to another like a fast sports car passing cars on the expressway.

At times, Cerf comes across as somewhat boastful and self-congratulatory and the randomness of his prose occasionally left me a little winded and wishing he had slowed the pace a little and added some more detail in certain places. However, his many anecdotes about the writers and editors he worked with is worth the cover price. His story of how he orchestrated the lifting of the U.S. ban on Joyce's Ulysses and his encounters with Theodore Dreiser, Gertrude Stein, D.H. Lawrence, and Budd Schulberg, among others are major gems.

— Reviewed by JCE