Wilson is at his best as an "introductory critic," a term that John Macy defined as "one who by his own skill and charm summons strangers to make the acquaintance of a great man." The introductory critic suffers the handicap, however, that his value decreases in direct proportion to the literacy of his audience and its familiarity with the work he is discussing, until it becomes almost nil for the relatively informed reader. Wilson is fully aware of this, has always consciously slanted his writing at the uninformed reader, and has always thought of himself as primarily a "popularizer." (p. 20)

Wilson has many abilities that make him an excellent popularizer. He writes clearly and readably and is able to work the most recondite material into simple and comprehensible English sentences. He has a wide reading, or at least a competent lay background, in a number of the primary...