The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 74, July 1970 - April, 1971 Page: 287

Book Reviews

In 1932 Brinkley tried again and this time got his name on the
ballot, but by then he suffered the handicap of out-of-state residence
and, Schruben believes, was running mainly for the publicity.
This book is an important contribution to the study of state his-
tory in the 193o's. Alfred Landon, already the subject of a fine
biography by Donald R. McCoy, inevitably becomes the central
figure. It would be good to see more in print about Governor Harry
Woodring, Guy T. Helvering, Senator George McGill, and some of
the other Democrats who came into prominence in the period. The
book stops abruptly with the election of Governor Walter Huxman
in 1936. Kansas had years of turmoil after that and we can hope
that Schruben will eventually tell us about them also.
University of Washington ROBERT E. BURKE
The Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery from Its Begin-
nings to r969. By John E. Pomfret. (San Marino: Huntington
Library, 1969. Pp. x + 241. Illustrations, bibliographic note,
index. $8.50.)
The Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery emerged from
Henry E. Huntington's private collections of manuscripts, rare books,
and art treasures. Gradually as his collections grew, Huntington
conceived the idea of preserving his holdings for the public after his
death. The guiding genius in persuading him to place the collections
in his home at San Marino, to open the estate and the treasure trove
to the public, and finally to orient the library toward research was
George E. Hale, famed astrophysicist and director of the nearby
Mount Wilson Observatory. Wrote Hale one time to Elihu Root:
"I no not think Mr. Huntington realizes as yet all I have in mind."
Perhaps similarly Hale did not know all that was in Huntington's
mind. Huntington, desiring that his great collections be beneficial
to humanity, largely followed Hale's blueprints, but also desiring
that they continue to grow and to receive optimum care, he designed
a trust that stressed fiscal responsibility and management.
Under an astute board of trustees working in close harmony with
the scholarly staff, in the brief fifty years since its establishment in
1919, Huntington has become one of the world's great research in-
stitutions. Both the endowment and the collections have grown; the
emphasis on research and publication has increased; and the con-

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