It is natural to divide Clarence
Day's books into two distinct groups: those which deal with his mother and
father, and those which contain his random reflections on the business of
living, the arts, and the foibles of mankind (including Thoughts Without Words, This Simian World, and After All). But since there is a single mood and a consistent
point of view in all these books, it is possible to regard them as chapters of
a single work; and that work is a commentary —at once wise and amusing, gay yet
essentially serious, gentle yet rugged and masculine—on homo sapiens and
civilization.
If that sounds somewhat pedantic,
it should be remembered that many acute critics have called Day an
anthropologist at the same time that they were writing about his quiet,
delightful humor. Like all great satirists, there was profundity in his comedy.
Those who were enchanted by the
Father and Mother pieces will find similar enchantment in This Simian World.
This special edition of THIS SIMIAN
WORLD has been made available to the Armed Forces of the United States through
an arrangement with the original publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York.
Editions for the Armed Services,
Inc., a non-profit organization established by the Council on Books in Wartime