The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-25

''THE NOTE BOOK OF AN ATrAcHE.
 SEVEN MONTHS IN THE WAR zONE.)
 By Eris Fisher Wood. The Century
 company, publishers New York. When the war storm burst upon Paris last autumn the atmosphere was so charged and strained that most of the art students forsook their work. fSome of those from other countries hurried home: others threw themselves into the midst of the rushing events one Of these latter was Eric Fisher Wood. young American who was studying architecture at the Beaux Arts
 Volunteering for service at the Amer lean embassy, MT. Wood was placed in charge of the Germans and Austro- Hungarians intenrned in France. He served in the American ambulance corps and was sent out with two American army officers to inspect the field of the battle of the Marne the day after the conflict to gather ma terial for report to our government He spent several days among the al- lied troops along the Aisne. visiting the trenches and the field hospitals, examining the fields of action and the destroyed villages.
 Subsequently as an official dispatch bearer in the American service. the au- thor was sent to Berlin, Vienna, Brus- sells, Berne, London, Budapest and other cities. He had thrilling ex- ! periences with detectives and secret service men, met great many high Af o1~ inIA k. .A tant personages in the various coun- tries, and visited at the magnificent country estates of several of the Hun garian nobles Uncluding that of Count ApponyD who were grateful to him for services he had rendered members of their families in France.
 For seven months he was in the thick of tremendous events that whirled him back and forth across Flu rope. In March MT. Wood returned to America with an extraordinary store of freshly observed facts of a nature quite different from that offered by newspaper correspondence.
 At the request of the war depart ment at Washington he spent five days giving to three United States officers from the war college information they wished about the European fighting and fighters. It is reported that as a result of his showing at Washington MT. WOOQ VIII shortly De sent bacK to the scenes of the war to collect more information. Having made his report to the war department, MT. Wood set him. self to write a book, which has just been issued by the Century company It Is called "The Note Book of an Att tache," with the subtitle, Seven Months in the War Zone" It Is com piled from notes and letters written on the ground, and is illustrated with pho- tographs of people and places figur. ing in it, and with some of the au- thor's collection of battered passports.
 Owing to the authors unusual op- portunities "behind the scenes" his book gives a more intimate and com prehensive view of EuropS at war than any other so far published on the sub tect in America. His diplomatic posi- ton, moreover, led him to weigh very carefully all his judgments and opin- ions; and the book is therefore, to an unusual degree. both spontaneous and accurate. Notable examples of this are his remarkable analysis of the battle of the Marne and his report of a con- versation with Count Apponyi the great Hungarian statesman, explaining that country's attitude toward the war.
 There is an appendix, which gives in concise form the miscellaneous mill itary observations made by the author which formed the basis of his report to the United States government.