European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                L amour s last rambling hero is himself education of a wandering Man by Louis l amour Bantam 232 pp., $16.95 Timothy Kelley Baltimore Sun Rovic Wathis on the  must know their place and one in t about to quibble with narrative methods of Louis l a Truc enough this testament As the publisher Calls it part Memoir part re Flection sometimes tantalize More than it delivers. It began As an account of How i educated myself l amour writes but it has often wandered far  often one might counter not far enough. Vignettes offered Here of the Best Selling West Ern writer s own instructive wanderings rid ing the rails As a Hobo shipping out to Singa pore As a merchant Seaman walking from death Valley to Barstow calif., when left stranded As the caretaker of a manganese mine might have sustained Fuller More continuous development. Instead they Are interspersed Lisa Rivard with wisecracks pontifications answers to fans questions and above All titles of books. The author was t always eating regularly Dur ing those Early Days but he was always read ing but l amour who died after finishing this volume in 1988, is not a candidate for correction in storytelling. He published 105 books. After All with about 220 million copies in print worldwide. It is Safe to assume he Felt he had the hang of it. In education of a wandering Man he doubtless wrote precisely the Book hews aiming to write. It s a volume l amour aficionados won t want to miss. Others May enjoy it too particularly advocates of ambitious Reading outside the Academy. L amour was ravenous for Litera Ture ancient and contemporary forgettable and great. He was Clever to think of chronicling his intellectual journeys along with the Geo graphical ones. If the chronicle itself does t always make room for an appropriately venturesome exploration of ideas the limitation May lie in a master s disciplined instincts of space and Pace. If its text sometimes threatens to be come a list of books read Well an appended Section at the Back actually is one. Don t look to l amour to explore the 20th Century s fabled troubled psyche. He characterizes sex As a Leisure activity peripheral to work of settling a new country though it would seem Central to the task of peopling one in grand tales of the Rise and fall of civilizations however and not just the american West a amour s interest seems to have been insatiable. And he wrote so that we might re member. When i go Down that last Trail he promises in this diverting Book i know there will be a thousand stories hammering at my Skull demanding to be  the Book is available in stars and stripes bookstores. Reviews Peggy Noonan what i saw at the revolution by Peggy Noonan random House 335 pp., $19.95 speechwriters who put words in the president s Mouth Are sup posed to have a passion for anonymity. Peggy Noonan is an exception and then some. Because of her writing Talent and research of the words of other presidents and of poets and schol ars she turned out Good copy. Among the memorable speeches she wrote was Reagan s address to the nation after the shuttle challenger exploded. And she wants people to know it. Her opus is skilfully written fun to read mean spirited toward a lot of people who were in High places and makes an admirable attempt at analysing and understanding her Fortune Good and bad to have been where she was. When she was bypassed for the Job of chief speechwriter Noonan left the White House. She was later pulled into president Bush s 1988 presidential Campaign to Spruce up his speeches and wrote his Nomi nation acceptance speech coining the phrase Kinder and  that s something her Book never was and never will be. Helen Thomas United press International the Bourne ultimatum by Robert Ludlum random House 624 pp., $21.95 this is the final Book of Robert Ludlum s trilogy of the Battles be tween Jason Bourne and the terrorist Carlos the jackal. The characters from previous yarns Are Back the sinister Cabal called Medusa the evil Genius Carlos and David Webb the Aca Demic and family Man who in his spy novel split personality be comes trumpets blare Jason Bourne. Ludlum has been True to time however. Years have passed. The hero and his arc Nemesis have be come older. Money is no object. Middle aged men run around the world plotting and killing like Chil Dren in a make believe shoot pm up with toy pistols. It s All in the name of vengeance. The evil Cabal led by a Wall Street Law firm is trying to take Over the world. The Kab and the Cia unbelievably cooperate fully with these two madmen gunning for each other. If a High body count Gore and mayhem Are your suit or if you re a die hard Lud Lum fan this May be your cup of Tea. For others it just in t Plau sible. Roberto Raymond United press International the renegades of pern by Anne Mccaffrey Del Rey 384 pp., $19.95 someone who has not discovered Anne Mccaffrey had Best pay care Ful attention to the introduction. The rest of us can plunge right in since flying dragons and voracious organisms called thread Are not something you Are Likely to forget. The renegades Are led by a woman who feels probably correctly that she was cheated of inherit ing a vast estate because of her sex. Lady Thella was firstborn but the wealth and Noble title went to her half brother. Faced with an arranged marriage Thella takes to the Hills to carve out her own Domain. But she is no feminist role Model. Thella thinks nothing of slitting some one s Throat to gain a slight advantage. This Book is every bit As Good As Mccaffrey s others. We can Only Hope that humanity s real future is As Good As the fictional one full of High adventure and fun that Mccaffrey has created. Sharon Miller United press International men at work the Craft of baseball by George f. Will Macmillan 353 pp., $19.95 George will the Well known political commentator who never had any trouble going to his right has written a Book on baseball that pro Vides a new insight into the game. This is unusual because the sport has been written about for More than a Century. But this Book quickly hit the Best seller list. Why because it s an authentic Genu Ine Bona fide presentation of what the sport is All about that combines extensive interviews with three players Cal Ripken jr., Tony Gwynn and Orel Hershiser plus manager Tony la Russa with vol Umes of documented research. Some of the subtleties and nuances of the game escape even those who put on the uniform. They take it for granted do the same old things but never know Why the routine is what it is. Not will. And in this Book his analytical awareness is one he shares. He does t write Down to his readers but takes them along for the ride. Will definitely is not just another intellectual who Sud Denly became smitten with the Charm of baseball and then proceeds to bore the audience. John Steadman Baltimore evening Sun All books available at stars and stripes bookstores. Pages sunday May 6,1990