Several days had passed since I’d last opened the pages of Walter Kerr’s, The Decline of Pleasure — a free copy I’d picked up at my neighborhood library box. I’d been slow in my progress because the book, written 1962, contained many observations that seemed dated. I’m

“Any species that is wholly contented, perfectly adapted to its environment, runs a real risk of its extinction.” So begins Walter Kerr, theater critic, lyricist and Broadway director of several successful productions, in his 1962 publication, The Decline of Pleasure. (Paperback e