, I ' THB NEW YORK TIMES • Atlantian Gets Bancroft Prize ,. For Writing Miss Elizabeth Stevenson, Parker Ave., SE, and one oi lanta'• Women o! the Year 1955, was an­ nounced 1\londay mght at b I Univers1 The 19~ Baacroft Praes, !dent or Columbia, presented a New York, rtven annually ainee 11148 by the awards at a dinner 1n the winner of Columbia University "for dis· Men'a Faculty Club, 400 West 1955 B an c r o ft tlngulshed writings 1n Amer• 117th Street. Thf' awarda Prize. She won tcan history," were awarded carry a stipend ot $2,000 for the a ward for lut Dliht to the author• or each book. The apeaker at he r biography, "Henry Adarna" and to "Last the dinner waa Oscar Ham· "Henry Adams," Full. Meuure: Lineohl the mersteln 2d. August Heck· p u b li shed last Pre~ldent ." acher, chairman of the Council N o v e m ber byl , 1 "Henry Adams" wu writ-· ot the Frienda of the Colum­ ten by Elizabeth Stevenson bia Libraries, wu master of the Macmillan li!:llraMUI Ste•' r1110n and waa publlshed by the Mac­ eerel'rn)nies. The council wu Company. -. , . Imillan Company. Mias Steven· sponsot ot the dinner. Columbia University gives two son Is the first woman to win . Miss Stevenson ill a library Bancroft Prizes annually "for dis­ the Bancroft award. assistant at the Carnegie Ll t inguished writings in American "Last Full Measure: Lincoln brary in Atlanta. Professo h istory." They. carry a stipend I the President," wu written by Current 11 head ot the Hlsto of $2,000 each. The other 1955 tbe late J, G. Randall and and Polltlcal Science Depart F).lll ment of the Woman's Coolleg prize went to "Last Meas­ Richard N. Current. It was ure," by the late J. G. Randall ' published by Dodd, Mead A: Co. at the University of No and Richard N. Current It was Dr. O~ySGn KirK, the pres· Carolina. published by Dodd, Mead. • • • STEVENSON'S first full· \. length book was "The Crooked Corridor: A Study of Henry J ames." It was publislled ln 1949. Miss Stevenson Is a grada­ ate of Agnes Scott College. " Henry Adams" was the rtrst comprehensi\e account of Adams' liCe and work that has been written of this most enigmatic American. He was historian, novelist and author ot one of the rreat autobio&nphies. ELIZABB'nl STBVBNSON•. loq-dme Atlanta resident and the &rat woman to will tbe coveted Bancroft Prize (for her 1qraphy of Henry Adams) "Miss Stevenson's nconstnction of tills tonnated, irritatint, dauntless· little man is an admirable piece of work." -THE ATlANTIC Elabeda Stmuoa aow lanllller ualque taleata to dilatory of pedlaps the IDOit ecaatric, IDOit IOIDIDtic --IDOitlllllected-lauN iDA..-IitllntUre. ...... allnlted..., .....,.. IOIJa of ........ .. .,._..., Yilltecl Ill lbl far..... places ... Wllldedq lllbjec:t IMd. to briq JOU tbia cWnitiYe padralt ol: • the loaely, ODMJed aepcnr of OaciaDatra laity bact .... • die -- daniDicler of colorful Creak !MD& iD New Orlelu and Mutiaiq• • tbe restless romantic wbo foancl bawD at last iD Japaa and became that country'a eatbusiutic dis­ coYCrer for moat of the West- LAFCADIO HEARN llluatrllted ..... ........ ,.,. ~ 10 ri"M AVINUI. NIW•. '\'Oitlt ll, N.Y. A Dlw.. lell of TM Ctewiii.COHier 1'111111thlnc ~' '"' PAPER/A.. 7Z~37A DAft ~/~.f J- Henry Adams Was a Man Who· Looked Idler Than He W tu Intimate tilde within whk:b -·._. s.u..-........ .,.as t: .. ,. ttt.y "'* Nlax T'IUa circle In· ,,_. .... J • h n HaJ Clarence ....... ~ Henry Hobeon Jllt.lcftllrd­ eoft •;a .Joh'l'l T..a P'arce. -.He ..... tonthe -- •• ._.... I •ae•• pUWiahed two.,...._. 41uietly wo"'-1 ..................... ,. W. Wlllwy of the Utdte4 ........ ...._ file aAd ht. wife were ......... extrwDiiy ~ ~ ....... '-'• ,.._ ...-and she nev• ==~=- hlna r •• al • • 4 lflel' happlne.a. Tn -.. • thit • ...._ ....er ..,.... - · 11M ._ltted 1ulclde. ... t'M .. ......, ........ ..._. waa CT. N. didn't c.re .., atr•••• •• t • :ot'r ~ he ltved or 41e4. He ............... --. ~ to U'lle • lonr tu.e, alone ..... -- ... ~ To an ou...._ tw .eemed St~ h .. Mt •t ~al. JIQII~. auoertle­ IAI. But fw wu a true fr~nd . .. --... fNt q ......... c-. ~~Adam~ ttv.-1 Jo11c w..n Oaftf'lce Xln~ n~d to ..._.... Wl38 to 1918 to pi'Oo c: • n v a 1 • 1 c t' ln Cuh.i It wu YiM ..,.. '"• t@rlal fOf" her H~nry Who took him thH"e He ~thn~ had plenty of hm~ to ......A'r .• A a V A a D, Henry ran-y out his t!Wnc1a' requests. • Brooa Adams. •rand110n of to write lt'tters. to .-nter1111n .J•n Q u l n c: y AdarM ....ct f'\lt=Stl a.tdly, ct.heted, wrote for the He and John LaFarge vlsltt'd Harvard M a r a z l n • · made Japan, thf'n Samoa. On Af'"eral frWndahl~ that would Lut a oc:culona. Henry and R L S. JiltttJM. met. They apparentlv d•shkPd .Afteor Harvard, he ~arnad one another on sight Henry c.nn.n bv attendlnc a !(Tam­ also trawlled to Hammerfut mar ~ool lft Berlin. He re­ and other outlylmr t>olnts. He turned to Waahln«ton only to could take only a little of cl'-'ili· zatlon. Washlnlrtnn pollt •rs. tlnd hla father wttln~ out for or London u Minister to Bntatn. at a time, then hf''d !'lave to get away from It au. Henry went all'nf as hl.a eec­ But M always came ba<·k. ~ry. 1118 • I 8 T 0 K V long ... ,, ce In London. Henry'a pl"edOI!<:­ publlahC!'d. he lt't'med 1!11P. Then, tlon for wrltln~P soon P.ot him while vblltlng. like anr. othn Into troub~ . He ~u ldn' t re· touriat. churchf'!l In Chart rN al.tt •ndln« back artie~ crlt1- and :Wont-Saint ·Micht>l. he h11d dzlnr the British. He Intend· an &n.piratlon Ht> would w rite ed anonymity, hut a Bnston about ttoese churchu ani! ~ ' nt IW'Wifllel"t!r u~ hla bylln<' they had mf'ant to the un f l'd Tht> London ,m.. a took him society of the 11th anrt 12t h to task. HenrY's father was centur1Ps Whf'n the \'II rln .,..... tmbarraa..ed; Kftlry, c:haf!rln· predomJnantly powerful ed An oflleto m a t t' trtf'<'l to He apent tht> next M"VI!'n sum­ cheer Henry by polntlnv out, mers Ill Fa anoe w •> rk iu~: or has *It'a not ewry boy of 25 who book. When "Mont-Salr•t·Mict-.,.1 can In alx month · residence and C"tu•rn·ea" ap(X'ared, Ita h..-. extort a leader from the first re.dt'n lwlrdly kl"lew 'lio h.at n-.H to make of It· ~Beton? he aot WWKN Henry's father re­ well Into the! book. the re•der tumed to AIIW'rict, Henrv be­ was pemaps qulzzJcal; after­ e.me a Wutlbltrton repOrter ward. aur.ly half 'ltunned and but found lt le6cftnc to a dead shocked tly ~aatlon and Idee.'" end After his a1stft' Louisa's Not oa{y cUd Henry Adanw death ln Italy (h. waa at her ~ntraat hla own century with bedside) hie iunllv penu,.df'd the 11th and 12th, thua galnlnf him to tMch history at Har­ penJ)«'tlve, but also tnc!udt'd, vard tor food measure a C! ..~!ll.lon He found that 14-arnln~t to o! belard. Saint Franca ot tMdl ~uw ""' fun. Each night AM!al, .ad Saint Thomas Aqu­ he cerrlect horRe armload~ ot lML books. In onWr to 1<~ 'lhead ot hls C'laiiiH. At thi111 time he WBD thia book was tln· _.. alto f'dltor of th~ "lorth !shed M benn Its S('q~l and Amerinm R.vl..,, anti'*· tie tamoua .. Educa· Soon he m a r r I • d Marian ttoa.• HOOI)er and took a wave from . ~years ln w...a.. Harvard They went to Europe 1naton. filled a cert&bl and Africa. W h • n they re­ rUeba. John Hay •• tumfd Henry taucht a '"' Seera~ of State, he relied on Yftft lon1er, then dewrted ~ t-ar. a walk with him Harvard to live In Washlnflon. e a e h aftemoon. Ustenln• but For awhl~. the Wuhlnrton not ac~Qina, u he talked over aodal whJrl almost awallowed hla problema. When President I!Mr and Mrs Adami espedally ftooaeovelt wantl'd to see a Marten bUt thf-v had their own diplomat unoffldal4', he asked 1 epor t by Walter Paschall Elizabeth Stevenson Elizabeth Stevenson, a native Atlantian, locally educated and locally employed, has in her second book "Henry Adams, a Biography", brought forth from the most significant group of critics a national recognition of Southern scholarship. Perhaps the most significant way to present the impact of the favorable publicity she has produced for her city and state is simply to summarize the reviews which have already been published: three full columns in the New York Times Book Review; a two-column review · in the Daily New York Times; three columns in the New York Herald Tribune Book Review; significant space in the Chicago Tribune Magazine of Books, the Cleveland Press, Associated Press Newsfeatures the Boston Sunday Post; and impressive reviews in American Heritage Magazine, Newsweek, Time Magazine and the Library Journal. Among the critics who have recognized Miss Stevenson•s work as a major contribution to American letters are Allan Nevins, Henry • Steele Commager, Louis Gannett, Katherine Thompson and Orville Prescott. Miss Stevenson is strictly an Atlanta product and got her English training at old Girl's High and at Agnes Scott College wherP she wrote for the student newspaper and magazine and graduated Magna Cum Laude with membership in Phi Beta Kappa.