SO LONG, LEWIS: The "New Criterion," that high-brow journal of criticism, bids an acerbic farewell to longtime "New York Times" columnist Anthony Lewis. The best line is a description of Lewis' farewell column: "In the short space of seven-hundred-odd words it manages to push eighteen left-liberal hot buttons and stand up for twenty-seven—some say thirty-two —articles of East Coast establishment orthodoxy."

I was a little late this time around, but I generally check in with the "New Criterion" monthly. True, articles such as "The Asymmetrical George Moore" don't appeal to me, but the "Notes & Comments" is almost always an enjoyable read.