Book Review

PAPERBACKS; THANK YOU, MRS. GILPATRICK

History.'', WENDY LESSER, Wendy Lesser, the editor of The Threepenny Review, is the author of the forthcoming ''Life Below the Ground: A Study of the Subterranean in Literature and

1987

Overview

In contrast to this depressing vision are the extremely moving portraits by John Barth (who describes his wife, a high school English teacher), Houston A. Baker Jr. (who talks about a Howard University literature professor, Charles Watkins) and Max Steele (who praises Mrs. Gilpatrick, the rigorously attentive instructor of advanced composition at Furman University). Since the authors of the essays were selected on the basis of their profession as writers, it is not surprising to find that most of the influential teachers they cite taught English literature or writing. Nonetheless, there are a couple of athletic coaches (George Garrett's ''My Two One-Eyed Coaches''), some historians and philosophers (Alfred Kazin's ''Teachers - and Two Particular Teachers'') and a small sampling of multiple-subject grade school teachers (Elizabeth Spencer's ''Miss Jennie and Miss Willie''). Over all, ''An Apple for My Teacher'' is something less than the sum of its parts. Over half the writers come from the South (the editor, [Louis D. Rubin Jr.], is a specialist in Southern literature), creating the questionable impression that good teaching is done primarily below the Mason-Dixon line. Moreover, the book is slightly disappointing in that its two best essays -Houston Baker's ''What Charles Knew'' and John Barth's ''Teacher'' - have previously appeared in periodicals. However, if you haven't already read them, they alone make the book worthwhile. MR.

• Publisher: New York Times Company
• Subject: Baker, Houston A Jr / Barth, John (1930- ) / Lesser, Wendy / Rubin, Louis D Jr