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This is the last volume of a series beginning with infancy, then embracing early and late childhood, adolescence, early and late adulthood, and ending with old age. All volumes gather essays written by authors with expertise in the respective phases of life. Such collective endeavors, intended to embrace many points of view, require a strong editorial vision and selection if they are not to suffer from a lack of continuity, from marked variation in quality of content as well as style, or from a failure to impart a constructive message. Unfortunately, this volume demonstrates the risks, rather than the potential success, of such collective endeavors.
My regrets, however, are more substantial. A quiet revolution is in progress that is changing our stereotypes about old age. But the book as a whole fails to reflect this momentous change. For the last 5 years I have been living in a 20,000–member community of mostly retired people in desirable southern California. Many call it paradise, and others repeatedly express their sense of feeling privileged to live in this community. The age range is from 60 to over 100, the majority probably are in their seventh and eighth decades. It is a hilly, pleasant town. Medical facilities as well as commercial establishments exist outside its borders. Much is offered at minimal cost, if not free. Golf, tennis, four large swimming pools, and many other sports are available, as well as arts-and-crafts facilities with most generous equipment, emeritus classes from a nearby college, and over 200 clubs (club is just an organizational unit) for any interest you can imagine, be it politics, entertainment, gardening, dancing, bridge, drama, music, book discussions, or travel, to name just a few. My point is that having such access, people are engaged in many activities. In the arts and