The B.C. High book is excellent: well illustrated, on slick paper, chock-full of memories of thje venerable institution tape-recorded by scores of alumni from nearly all the school's 120 years....

Highly satisfying is the format whereby alumni from various decades recall their school-days, the teachers, the extra-mural affairs (like World War II) that affected their studies and schedules, the great friends they knew then and respect still. Much of this is serious, though humor abounds as well....

Needless to say, alumni of the School will enjoy the book most, particularly those earlier birds who went while B.C. High was hemmed in by the Immaculate, the Franklin Square House, Blackstone Park, the "el," and a sizeable portion of the City's old skid row.... But Boston College High School is good Boston history, too, worthy of the attention of general buffs who savor oddments of fact about the City and who will welcome the rememberings of such well-knowns as Governor King, several Globe editors, Billy Bulger, Newman Flanagan, Freddy Langone, Msgr. Matthew Stapleton, Bishop Alfred Hughes, and many, many others.

-- George E. Ryan, The Pilot, May 25, 1984

The narrative of B.C. High's history is interesting, if a bit stiffly written (one hears the shuffling of 3-by-5 notecards in the background) but the real delight of the book is a series of interviews with graduates, beginning with a member of the class of 1912, printed more or less verbatim....

For anyone interested in South End history, this is an important book to have. The secondary material is available elsewhere, but the interview material is unique and well worth the purchase price. For old grads of Boston College High, the purchase is obligatory.

Why does the Unofficial Book of Harvard Trivia, by David J. Loftus, cost $7.95? Why can you buy it only at places like Out of Town News in Cambridge and Paperback Booksmith stores? Why is it that just when you've decided to give up trivia forever, you decide maybe there's room for just one more portion? Is trivia addictive? Could someone at Harvard please find out?

-- Paul M. Wright, South End News, June 21, 1984

Loftus said researching and writing the book was a delight. The work consisted not only of digging through old files and back issues of school yearbooks. As he put it, he "chatted with a lot of people" and discovered many interesting anecdotes in his conversations.

Among other things, he discovered that boys will be boys. The original B.C. High in the South End was located opposite the Franklin Square House, an inexpensive apartment building for young women who came to Boston to study or work. Alumni mentioned to Loftus the times when during class they would peer out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the young ladies. And, of course, Loftus remarks, "the Jesuits were ever vigilan to control" that behavior.

-- Lisa Port, The Quincy Patriot Ledger, June 29, 1984