I expected to be little impressed by this collection of the first few years of the newspaper comic strip, "Superman". After all, the art and writing in comic books has progressed so dramatically in the last few decades. But I was impressed by some of the stories, simplistic and illogical as many were. This was balanced by the energy, charm and innocence of the early "Man of Steel", in a time when he was wanted by the police as a vigilante, and few in the general public had heard of him. Superman's oath never to take a life was not in evidence in the early stories, although it did slowly develop during these years. He was not as powerful as now, although there are only a few instances in this book of anything causing him discomfort, and there was no kryptonite yet. He could not fly either, although his jumping abilities often gave that illusion. Perhaps the most offbeat and enjoyable stories are when he helps a Caspar Milquetoast type overcome his timidity (although he uses a new and never-repeated power here, as he twists his rubbery features to copy the other man's features), and when Clark goes to Hollywood to take a role in the Superman movie being shot. In all, a surprisingly enjoyable collection, and not just from a historical standpoint. One can well imagine the impact it had on readers back in the late '30's for whom this may have been their first exposure to the last son of Krypton. ( )