The Marine Book: A Portrait of America's Military Elite

This glossy, well-designed and -photographed (by the author) book should bring a proud glow to the collective cheek of the Corpsand make an ideal gift for any current or former Marine. Lawliss gives a brisk rundown of Marine history, with handy checklists of battles and engagements, describes the training (familiar from many movies) but devotes his most eloquent passages to the Marine mystique. (An officer, asked if Marines are a mirror of society, replies that, no, they think of themselves as better than society.) Inevitably, in a book done with its wholehearted cooperation, the Corps comes off looking splendid: better trained, educated and motivated today than ever, according to Lawliss. This is not a book where one can expect to find a serious examination of the Marines' historical role as the nation's imperial policemen overseas, ``protecting America's interests'' in Central America, for instance, in Lawliss's words. But as the valentine it is, it is well doneand has a delightful extra in the skillful line drawings of notable Marine heroes by Richard H. Brown. (Jan.)