C lifton Fadiman in The New Yorker for March 17, 1934: One of the least appreciated of the older generation of American writers, I imagine, is Mr. Albert Jay Nock. The fact probably doesn't disturb him in the least, as he holds no very high opinion of American literary taste. He has written a book on Jefferson, which, whether or not you share its point of view, is a classic of harmonious scholarship, and one on Rabelais which is even better. And now a publisher has had the fine judgment to persuade him to release a part of his diary, covering the months from June, 1932, to December, 1933. It is called "A Journal of These Days," and its quiet wit, sharpness of phrasing, reverence for the English language, and unity of viewpoint deserve your consideration. Mr. Nock is an anomaly, being at once a fastidious aristocrat and a devout Jeffersonian. His standards are those of Matthew Arnold; the word "civilization" is constantly on his lips. He embodies urbanity witho...
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