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Books for a better
under.standing of our country
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SEARS
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... a special selection suggested by the
American Library Association
You see on the page to the right an
even dozen books on one phase or an–
other of our nation's development.
Selected from a list prepared by the
Ad\1lt Services Division of the Ameri–
can Library Association, these books
present various aspects of the past,
present and future of America. This
listing is a first step in a joint program
undertaken by Sears and the Ameri–
can Library Association.
Why such emphasis on books like
these? Every day of our lives each of
us has reason to be thankful that he
lives in the United States of America.
We very nearly take for granted the
personal liberty, the freedom of
thought and the principles that have
made our country what it is.
·
In a country like ours, where the gov–
ernment and the way of life are de–
cided by the people, the people them–
selves must have facts, weigh alterna–
tives and make decisions. Th make
decisions effectively all of us must
know a great deal about the origins of
our country and its basic institutions,
and the way in which our system oper–
ates, who contributes to its success,
and how it builds safeguards against
the attacks of individuals or organiza–
tions or ways of thinking which might
tend to destroy it.
All through history books have been
instrumental in changing the world,
but in this day of rapid communica–
tion books don't get the same wi9-e
distribution that other means of com–
munication enjoy. That is why Sears
and the American Library Associa–
tion have undertaken to call to the
attention of the American public a
number of useful and worthwhile
books of a type which would give a
better understanding of our national
life and
pe~le
as a whole. Other such
lists will appear from time to time.
Different books mean different things
to different people, and in a free de–
mocracy such as ours, freedom of opin–
ion is important. Certainly this is by
no means a complete selection of all
worthwhile writing on these subjects.
Nor do the individual books neces–
sarily reflect the opinions of everyone
at Sears or in the American Library
Association.
But you can't lose by having a better
understanding of what makes Amer–
ica "tick." Your public library has
most or all of the books featured here.
We strongly urge you to make full use
of the services of this fine public insti–
tution. Or, if you want to add any of
these volumes to your home library,
you may order them from Sears or
from your local bookseller.