BOOK REVIEW The Savoy Operas: A New Guide to Gilbert and Sullivan, by Geoffrey Smith ($14.95, Universe Books, New York, 1983--236 pgs.) This work seems to be the latest in the suddenly broad selection of G&S books now available. This particular one, however, is the victim of a misleading title: "A New Guide." The books is not so much a guide to the operas as it is an analysis of them -- instead of focusing on the specifics of the operas (the operas' plots, the specific characters, what songs the characters sing: the unarguable points which a guide would cover), the author concentrates on conundrums G&S circles are still debating, like the genesis of Bunthorne, Gilbert's intentions in his character- izations, the social setting, the eventual fate of the operas, and other controversial topics. The author does have some interesting insights and does bring to light some new pieces of information, but the publisher neglected to give information about the author that would assure the reader (well, this hyper- critical reader, anyway) that the author has enough background in G&S to give his information and opinions weight. The author himself did not help in this case, though: the book is not referenced. While a 39-source select bibliography is includ- ed, the author does not state what information he got from these sources, either in the form of internal referencing or footnotes. He also appears to have done some outside research -- for in- stance he says the program for the first Command Performance of Gondoliers, long said to have neglected to mention Gilbert, really did list him as librettist; but Mr. Smith does not tell the reader were he found the program or verify that it is the actual program. Without reference, the reader, if he has not done the same research, has no way of knowing how the author got his information, or how accurate the information is. The author's credibility on this point becomes shaky. That shakiness needn't have been a problem, though, if the reader knew the author's background in research. Unhappily, neither the introduction nor the author's biography on the dust cover say anything definite about his background in studying Gilbert & Sullivan. According to that biography, Geoffrey Smith is a lecturer on English and American Literature at the City Universi- ty of London, was formerly a professional percussionist, reviews jazz for County Life, and as a child remembers marching around the living room playing saucepan lids to the "Peer's Chorus." I saw no definite allusions to a background that would qualify him as a competent analyzer of G&S. Without that solid, publicized foundation in Gilbert & Sullivan, his assertions look like unlearned opinions masquerading as accepted analysis. But the book, as far as being readable, isn't as bad as I'm making it sound. While I didn't entirely agree with the author's opinions, I have to praise him for effort. He is trying to put forth a general overview of the most-common (though sadly, bitter) attitudes about the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, not (at least I hope not) a scholarly treatise on them. The result is not as authoritative as Audrey Williamson's "An Assessment," but is somewhat more readable (though, like all analysis, ought to be taken with a grain of salt). The author and his publisher would have probably done better to have made an opera guide -- and perhaps will consider doing so in the future, since the best I've seen (Leslie Ayre's "Gilbert & Sullivan Companion") is out of print and by now would need revising -- but "The Savoy Operas" is a convenient book for the intermediate G&S reader with enough appreciation for the individual collaborators to now let Mr. Smith's cynicism bother him or her. [This article appeared in Issue 3 (June 1985) of Precious Non- sense, the newsletter of the Midwestern Gilbert & Sullivan Society. Posted by permission of Sarah Cole, Society Secre- tary/Archivist. For information on Society membership write to: The Midwestern Gilbert & Sullivan Society, c/o Miss Sarah Cole, 613 W. State St., North Aurora, IL 60542-1538.]