I saved this book, unwilling even to open it until I had the time to savour and enjoy it, to indulge myself with the further reading that I knew I would want to do. In ''At Large And At Small'' Anne Fadiman has returned to one of her favourite genres - the familiar essay. Few people can do this well with its need for intellectual breadth and sharp focus on the everyday but for me Fadiman is one of the pre-eminent essayists of her day.