Man of many parts and arts

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32880, 1 April 1972, Page 10

Man of many parts and arts

Pieces of the Action. By ,y anneva S Bush. Cassell. 311 pp. Notes and Index. Dr Vannevar Bush has lived such an extraordinarily active and mvolved life that any account of it could scarcely fail to be fascinating reading. "Pieces of Action’’ is not, however, an autobiography, in the strict sense of the word. 'There will be no ordered account of my life in this book, he says. .Rather is it a series of renascences grouped loosely under different headings and with no regard for chronology. The reminisrences cover the last 60 years in which a lot has happened” and they involve a large number of personal experiences and recall numerous friends and acquaint- ? ances, both famous and humble. Dr Bush is primarily a scientist but one of that rare breed of scientist who can write intelligibly and well about his subject so that even the untrained layman is interested. Not that he confines himself in this life or in the writing of this book solely to pure science. The dust-jacket blurb begins "Inventor, teacher, engineer, raconteur, atomic pioneer, adviser to Presidents, administrator, organiser, Yankee, internationalist, humorist, .optimist," 1 and the list is really no exaggeration.

All these qualities are revealed in his book under such chapter headings as “Of Inventions,” “Of Energies, Engines and Hobblms," “Of Leaders and Leadership.” Many of Dr Bush's memories are connected with the war years, with military inventions, organisations and personnel, and most important of all with the development and use of the atomic bomb. Much of what he says will be anathema to the youth of today. There is no other way to describe Dr Bush than as a “Grand Old Man” and the vogue for such figures is. past. His avowed and simple optimism (allied with his occasional naive remedies for today’s fils) will also jar many readers. Yet he writes with such sincerity, with such a zest for life and such genuine kindness that much should be forgiven him. In the Foreword Dr Bush writes “In my time, it has been my good fortune to have a piece of the action here and there. It has been a pleasant experience for me to review some of the more rugged of these and some of the more severe." Those who enjoy informal discursive writing,, a glimpse behind public events and an encounter with an optimistic, wise and honest man will find it a pleasant experience to read "Pieces of the Action.”