The Story of the Seashore

Once again Goodall ( The Story of a Farm ) exposes a rich slice of British society by examining a single scene in its various incarnations during several eras. Here, the seaside town of Weymouth plays host to activities both exotic and familiar. The curtain rises on a royal visit to the resort in the early 1800s; in subsequent spreads, we see adult pastimes such as shopping and tea dances, while children enjoy Punch and Judy shows, boating excursions and digging in the sand. With the advent of WW II, this holiday setting becomes a foreboding coastal defense area; and, on the book's final pages, backpackers, tall buildings and windsurfers testify to the inexorable march of progress. As in all of Goodall's similar works of social history, the central concept of the book is marvelously clean and simple, and is executed with meticulous attention to detail. Readers will be drawn again and again to favorite scenes, and repaid with fresh discoveries each time. All ages. (Mar.)