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The Fables are readable in this rhymed version, which keeps commendably close to the original. Here and there is a line not quite clear without reference to the French, e.g. A miracle you're quit for fear!" (c'est merveille qu'il n'ait eu seulement que la peur pour tout mal.) Mr. Carter employs a variety of metres, and the roughnesses he has intentionally left are not out of place. About Shakespeare and His Plays. By G. F. BRADBY. Second Edition. (2s. 6d. net. Oxford University Press.)

It is good to see a second edition of this little book. After all the books written on Shakespeare there was still room for ita delightful series of talks that will make all who listen to them more alive to the beauties of the plays and to the poet's own personality.

The English Drama. By H. F. RUBENSTEIN. (6d. Benn.)
A History of Restoration Drama, 1660-1700. By A. NICOLL.
Second Edition. (16s. net. Cambridge University Press.)
A Poetry Book for Boys and Girls. Compiled by A. WATSON
BAIN. Part II. (2s. Cambridge University Press.)
How Shakespeare " Purged" Jonson: a Problem Solved. By A.
GRAY. (2s. net. Heffer.)
Contemporary East-Anglian Poetry. (5s. net. Fowler Wright.)
Shakespeare: Truth and Tradition. By Dr. J. S. SMART. With
a Memoir by Prof. W. M. DIXON. (7s. 6d. net. Arnold.)
A Treasury of Verse for Primary Schools. Selected by M G.
EDGAR. Books 3, 5, 6, and 7. (6d. each. Harrap.)
Macbeth. Edited by E. C. KELLETT. The Merchant of Venice.
Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by P. H. B. LYON.
The Tempest. Edited by Dr. E. THOMPSON. An Introduction
to Shakespeare: Passages Chosen for Lower Forms. By
Dr. E. THOMPSON. (3s. 6d. each. Benn.)

The Pilgrim's Progress of John Bunyan: a Dramatized Version of Certain Scenes in his Own Words. Arranged by W. Rix. (Paper, 2s. Cloth, 3s. Allen & Unwin.)

Five One-Act Plays of Village Characters. By L. HOUSMAN. The Prize Pigeon. The Snow Man. A Likely Story. (Is. net each.) The Called and the Chosen. A Mint o' Money. (9d. net each. Deane.)

The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language. Selected and Arranged by F. T. PALGRAVE. With Additional Poems. (Cloth, 25. net. Leather, 3s. 6d. net. Oxford University Press.) Shakespeare. Julius Caesar. Edited by G. E. HOLLINGWORTH and A. F. WATT. (Cloth, 2s. Paper, Is. 6d. University Tutorial Press.)

Shakespeare. As You Like It. Edited by A. R. WEEKES and
Dr. A. S. COLLINS. (Cloth, 2s. Paper, Is. 6d. University
Tutorial Press.)

Shakespeare's King John. Edited by J. HAMPDEN.
Nelson.)

(IS. 9d.

The Treasure Ship; Rory Aforesaid; The Happy War; Three
Plays. By J. BRANDANE. (6s. net. Constable.)

A Critical Commentary on "Shakespeare to Hardy." By W. E.
WILLIAMS. (IS. Methuen.)
Nine Plays of Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, Merchant
of Venice, As You Like It, Tempest, Richard II, Henry V,
Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth. With Introduction,
Prefaces, and Brief Notes. (3s. 6d. Clarendon Press.)
By the Nursery Fire. By IRVING BELL. (2s. 6d. net. The
St. Catherine Press.)

Rustlings from Life's Highway. By IRVING BELL.
The St. Catherine Press.)

A Treasury of Verse for Primary Schools. Book 2.
M. G. EDGAR. (6d. Harrap.)

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(2s. 6d. net.

Selected by

Tragedy in Relation to Aristotle's Poetics (Hogarth Lecture No. 2).
By F. L. LUCAS. (3s. 6d. net. The Hogarth Press.)
Studies in Shakespeare (Hogarth Lecture No. 3).

By Prof.
A. NICOLL. (3s. 6d. net. The Hogarth Press.)
One-Act Plays of To-day. Selected by J. W. MARRIOTT. Fourth
Series. (2s. 6d. Prize Edition. 3s. 6d. net. Harrap.)

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HISTORY

A Rational History of England: From Earliest Times to the Reign of Elizabeth. By W. H. G. MILNES. (2s. 6d. Dent.) The March of History. Book IV. The Middle Ages to the End of the Seventeenth Century, 1485-1689. By F. T. FUTERS and C. M. MARTIN. (2s. 6d. McDougall's Educational Co.) Concerning these two books, each of which covers a considerable period of English history, it is difficult to say that the one, is more rational than the other, or that the other represents history as a "march more vividly than the one. We suppose that it is hard to find a distinctive title nowadays for a textbook on a theme so hackneyed as English history. Be that as it may neither of the titles of the books now before us is happy; to describe your work as rational is pretentious; to speak of history as a "march is misleading. Mr. Milnes provides a convenient and well-proportioned narrative of events to A.D. 1603, the most distinctive guiding principle of his sketch is his emphasis on which one may call the civic aspects of history. Messrs. Futer; and Martin are more concerned, in their survey of the first two modern centuries, to stress social, economic, and cultural aspects. They provide a useful apparatus of tables and questions; they also include in their narrative a number of extracts from contemporary sources.

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Students' Notes on European History, 1494-1815. By J. G. ALTHAM. (2s. 6d. Bell.)

Notes on European History. By W. EDWARDS. Volume IV. 1815-1870. (10s. 6d. net. Rivingtons.)

The authors of these two notebooks of European history are both headmasters of secondary schools with wide experience in teaching history to candidates for leaving certificates and university entrance examinations. Both of them, moreover, have unusual skill in the making of summaries and the construction of tables. Hence their works are likely to be very valuable to students who are reading the history of the periods with which they respectively deal. Mr. Altham in a preceding volume has analysed the history of the nineteenth century; hence his present analysis stops at 1815. In twenty-four brief chapters he provides the framework of exact information necessary for the comprehension of the course of European history from the French invasion of Italy, 1494, to Waterloo. Mr. Edwards' outlines are on a larger and more detailed scale. The six sections

of his volume treat successively of the congresses; reaction and revolution; France; Germany; Italy; Eastern Europe; and the Lesser European States. A certain amount of crossclassification is evident.

Ancient Egypt. By A. WEIGALL. (6d. Benn.)

A History of Italy. By Mrs. G. M. TREVELYAN. (6d. Benn.) It is said that no one ought to write a small book on any subject until he has written a large one upon it. If that literary canon be sound both the writers of these brief sixpenny histories are well qualified for their tasks. Again, if enthusiasm, as well as detailed knowledge, is a desirable quality in an author, each of these two historians is well fitted for his task. Mr. Weigall, whose great three-volumed History of the Pharaohs" is our standard authority for ancient Egyptian chronology, has performed a marvellous feat in condensing the record of thirty centuries into eighty pages. It is extraordinarily interesting to find that Mr. Weigall identifies the Pharaoh of the Exodus with the Tutankamen whose recently-discovered tomb is at present attracting so much attention. Mrs. Trevelyan, daughter of the late Mrs. Humphrey Ward, has achieved a hardly less remarkable prodigy of abbreviation by compressing into the same compass a summary of Italian history from the fifth century A.D. to the present day.

Wanderings in Medieval London. By C. PENDRILL. (10s. 6d. net. Allen & Unwin.)

Selected and

Modern Historians of the French Revolution.
Edited by F. C. HAPPOLD. (Is. 9d. Nelson.)
The Protection of Minorities: The Working and Scope of the
Minorities Treaties under the League of Nations. By L. P.
MAIR. (8s. 6d. net. Christopher.)

The Story of Ancient Crete. By D. A. MACKENZIE. (IS. 3d.
Blackie.)

A Brief Survey of French History. By Dr. A. S. RAPPOPORT. (2s. 9d. Blackie.)

The Ancient World and its Legacy to Us. By A. W. F. BLUNT. (3s. 6d. Clarendon Press.)

Wheaton's Atlas of British and World History for Juniors. By T. A. RENNARD. (Is. 6d. Exeter: Wheaton.)

MATHEMATICS

A Treatise on the Analytical Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies, with an Introduction to the Problem of Three Bodies. By Prof. E. T. WHITTAKER. Third Edition. (25s. net. Cambridge University Press.)

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The new edition of this work differs from the preceding solely in the two last chapters, which deal respectively with the " General Theory of Orbits " and " Integration by Series." They have been completely re-written, in order to present the subject as it has been developed by the researches of the last eleven years. In connexion with periodic orbits, Whittaker first called attention to two types which, on account of the resemblance of their theory to that of ordinary differential equations, he distinguished as ordinary" and “singular.' It was presumed that ordinary orbits occurred more frequently than singular, but Cherry has shown recently that Hamiltonian systems with two degrees of freedom do not in general possess any ordinary solutions; all such solutions are singular. Whittaker has also initiated some new lines of research in the theory of integration by series. Poincaré proved that the series of celestial mechanics, if they converge at all, cannot converge for all values of the time or for all values of the instant. Discussing systems with two degrees of freedom, Whittaker has now shown that the problem of integration falls under three cases depending upon the ratio of two parameters. When this ratio is continuously varied the form of the integral sought changes abruptly when the ratio passes from a rational to an irrational value, and vice-versa. It is clear that the problems of classical dynamics still offer almost unlimited opportunities for further research, and this is probably one reason why the author has not made any reference to the problems of quantum dynamics.

Higher Certificate Mathematical Test Papers. By A. S. PRATT. (Is. 6d. Methuen.)

This collection is intended for the use of students preparing for Higher Certificate or Intermediate Degree examinations. There are three sets of a dozen papers each, grouped as algebra, geometry (pure and analytical), and trigonometry with calculus. The questions have been carefully chosen or constructed for the purpose specified, and the necessary ground seems to be well covered.

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(1) Junior Test Papers in Arithmetic and Algebra: for the Use of Pupils Preparing for Lower Certificate, County Scholarship, Oxford and Cambridge Locals, College of Preceptors, and Similar Examinations in the Junior Grade. With Points Essential to Answers. By A. E. DONKIN. (2s. 6d. each Pitman.)

(2) Junior Test Papers in Geometry: for the Use of Pupils Preparing for Lower Certificate, County Scholarship, Oxford and Cambridge Locals, College of Preceptors, and Similar Examinations in the Junior Grade. By W. E. PATERSON. (2s. 6d. Pitman.)

These three volumes contain seventy-five papers each; the Geometry papers contain six questions, the others seven. They are well-selected papers for the purpose indicated in the title. Each volume contains an appendix of points essential to answers which contain all that an intelligent pupil working alone should require in the way of assistance.

Arithmetical Dictation: a Systematic Series of Exercises in Mental Arithmetic. By A. WISDOM. Based by Arrangement on the Books of Fundamental Arithmetic. Books V and VI, with Answers. (Is. 3d. each. University of London Press.) Principles of Accounts. Part I. General Principles of Double Entry. By Dr. J. STEPHENSON. (3s. 6d. Pitman.) Holmes' Comprehensive Arithmetic for the Qualifying Class. (n.p. Glasgow: W. & R. Holmes.)

Classified Problems in Mathematics: Being Graded and Classified
Test Papers in Arithmetic and Algebra for Matriculation
Students. By L. HERMAN. (3s. Sidgwick & Jackson.)
Mathematics for Technical Students: Covering the Requirements
of the Practical Mathematics Section of the National Certificate
Course in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering for both
First and Second Year Students. By G. E. HALL. (5s. net.
Pitman.)
Part I.
(3s. 6d.

Progressive Trigonometry. By F. G. W. BROWN.
Numerical Trigonometry and Mensuration.
Macmillan.)

Intermediate Book-Keeping: For Day and Evening Classes. By
D. MACARA. (2s. 6d. Chambers.)

MODERN LANGUAGES

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Spanish Reader: an Interpretation of Spanish Life and Character. Edited by Dr. GERTRUDE WACKER. (5S. net. Heffer.) A pleasant feature to notice in the increased number of reading books in Spanish available for class use is the stress laid upon interpretation of Spanish life and ways. This reader by Dr. Gertrude Wacker aims at giving an idea of Spain and the Spaniard by means of extracts from the works of modern Spanish writers. The four sections deal with the main aspects of Spanish character, the growth of the nation, Spanish customs and festivals and la patria chica-descriptions mainly geographical of the various districts of Spain. Extracts vary from Azoren's study of a sixteenth-century Hidelgo to Ibañez' sketch of the gypsies of Madrid. Valera, Gald's, Baroja, Unamuno, Valdés, and Jimemez are all drawn upon to make a vivid and representative gallery of Spain. The reader is well illustrated. and can be recommended for senior classes. Daudet. Contes Alsaciens et Provençaux.

Chosen and Edited, with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary, by R. ScoTT. (Is. 6d. Oxford University Press.)

The Oxford University Press is to be congratulated on the excellence of its contemporary French Series, of which this selection of Daudet is the most recent specimen. It includes an introduction, fifty-eight pages of text, a selection of titles for essays, notes, vocabulary, and a list of phrases. The book is printed and bound with the usual Oxford thoroughness, and it is a marvel how, in these days of expensive books, such a volume can be sold at eighteenpence. For there must be author's rights to pay in the case of Daudet, Proust, Gide, and Anatole France. It is very important that pupils should have opportunities of studying recent work as well as the classics. Mr. Russell Scott has done his editing in an exemplary manner.

Phonetics without Symbols: French Phonetics for Schools. By G. C. BATEMAN. Third Edition. (Is. Heffer.) Mr. Bateman has collected a set of exercises on phonetics in which he uses numbers instead of the usual symbols. As the book is in a third edition it is evident it fills a felt want. Elementary German. By Dr. F. W. MEISNEST. (бs. 6d. New York: Macmillan.)

Sixteenth Century French Anthology. Edited, with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary, by S. H. BUSH and C. E. YOUNG. (2s. 6d. Heath.)

Leyendas de la Alhambra. By CARLOTA MATIENZO and LAURA B. CRANDON. (4s. 6d. Ginn.)

A Laboratory Study of the Reading of Modern Foreign Languages. By Prof. G. T. BUSWELL. (3s. 6d. New York: Macmillan.) Prosper Mérimée. Colomba. Abridged and Edited by Dr. F. W. M. DRAPER. With Notes and Vocabulary. (IS. Blackie.)

Alfred de Musset. On Ne Saurait Penser à Tout. With Introduction, Notes, and Vocabulary, by Dr. F. W. M. DRAPEr. (IS. Blackie.)

Henry Bordeaux. La Nouvelle Croisade des Enfants. Edited by E. J. A. GROVES. With Notes and Vocabulary. (Is. Blackie.)

An Introductory Course in French Phonetics. By E. E. UNWIN. (2s. Blackie.)

French Travellers in Britain, 1800-1926: Impressions and
Reflections. Collected and Edited by Dr .F. C. ROE. (2s. 6d.
Nelson.)

Voltaire. By Dr. R. L. G. RITCHIE. (2s. 6d. Nelson.)
Nelson's First French Course: an Introduction to Spoken French.
By Dr. R. L. G. RITCHIE and J. M. MOORE. (1s. 9d. Nelson.)
Certificate French Unseens. Edited by R. A. SPENCER. (IS. 9d.
Arnold.)

Applied Spanish Grammar. By Prof. J. A. VAETH.
Longmans.)

(4s. 6d.

Don Álvaro; or, La Fuerza del Sino: Drama en Cinco Jornadas. By DON ANGel de Saavedra, Duque de RIVAS. Edited, with Introduction, Notes, and Vocabulary, by Dr. S. L. M. ROSENBERG and E. H TEMPLIN. (4s. 6d. Longmans.) Gaston Chérau. Veillées Gasconnes (La Despélouquero). Edited by A. M. GIBSON. (Is. 6d. Bell.)

Lesage. Turcaret. Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Dr. E. E. BRANDON and Prof. M. BAUDIN. (4s. 6d. net. Oxford University Press.)

Petit Cours Préparatoire: A One-Term Course in Phonetics. By L. H. ALLISON. Third Edition. (1s. 4d. Black.)

PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

The Kingdom of the Mind. By Prof. J. E. DOWNEY. (Ss. 6d. net. New York: Macmillan.)

This volume of the Young People's Shelf of Science is an entertaining introduction to psychology written specially for American boys. In simple language they are introduced to the physiology of the eye and ear, heat and cold spots of the skin, the chief phenomena of memory and imagery, the learning curve, and intelligence tests. There are plenty of experiments to be tried, and very little moralizing. Many schoolboys will thoroughly enjoy this book, and will be set thinking along psychological lines.

The Mind of the Growing Child: A Series of Lectures. Edited by Viscountess ERLEIGH. (5s. net. Faber & Gwyer.) The names of the contributors to this volume are a guarantee of the general excellence of its contents. The subjects include heredity and environment popularly expounded, the psychology of infancy, problems in family adjustment, jealousy, fear, the backward child, children's books, and the effects of sunlight. The book will be found interesting and useful by superintendents of nursery schools, and by mothers and nurses generally. Apparently the course could not have taken place, but for the generosity of the lecturers in giving their services free. We do not see why, seeing that the audiences did not come from the poorer classes of the community.

Practical Psychology: For Students of Education. By C. Fox. (7s. 6d. net. Kegan Paul.)

The

This book falls into two parts. The first part gives details of experimental work done with classes of students of education, both the selection and the treatment of problems being considerably affected by the exigencies of class instruction. second part consists of an exposition of statistical method, with special reference, of course, to educational inquiries, and with the inevitable indebtedness to Galton, Pearson, Yule, and others. Mr. Fox is refreshingly original, his book being like no other of its kind with which we are acquainted. He is also markedly careful in his experimental work, and his warnings against fallacious observation and inference might be taken to heart by some people who are not beginners. Mr. Fox would probably be the first to insist that his results do not take us far in the way of improved practice in the schoolroom, but he would equally insist that at any rate such work as this book records is on promising lines.

The Struggles of Male Adolescence. By Dr. C. S. READ. (7s. 6d. net. Allen & Unwin.)

Dr. Stanford Read is the medical psychologist to the West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases, so his experience is mainly of the abnormal and the maladjusted. In this book, however, he writes to enlighten the parent and teacher of normal boys with regard to the difficulties and stresses of the adolescent stage, for he believes that on their wise guidance depend the well-being and happiness of the youth of to-morrow. The older ostrich attitude, he says, is responsible for much of the world's unhappiness. He sets forth clearly the causes and results of the conflict which often attends adolescence, and in every case points the way to mental health.

Twins and Orphans: The Inheritance of Intelligence—a Thesis
Submitted in Conformity with the Requirements for the Degree
of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Toronto.
Dr. A. H. WINGFIELD. (10s. 6d. net. Dent.)

By

Dr. Wingfield has continued the investigations begun by Galton into the abilities of like and unlike twins, and compares his results with those obtained by testing children of varying inheritance but the same environment, that of an orphanage. His conclusions tend to show general intelligence is an inherited trait; that environment cannot create intelligence, but plays the important rêle of developing it.

Mental Hygiene. By Dr. D. W. LA RUE. (10s. net. New York: Macmillan.)

English readers may already know Dr. La Rue from his earlier book on "The Child's Mind and the Common Branches." His new work is more ambitious, as it aims at giving teachers a comprehensive view of the modern applications of psychology to the production of mental health. He deals first with the forces that determine personality, and more particularly with heredity as a predisposing force; then with the mental hygiene of adult life, and finally with the psychology of childhood and adolescence. It is simply written, and each chapter has a useful list of references-English as well as American-for further study.

Talks to Parents and Teachers. By H. LANE. (5s. net. Allen & Unwin.)

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Homer Lane's premature death in 1925 deprived the world of the two books he had planned, one on the upbringing of young children—a subject which he had studied in the babies' ward in a hospital, as well as at home and in the Little Commonwealth-and the other on the re-education of badly-adjusted adults. The present volume consists partly of the lectures which he gave in 1919 on The Self-Determination of Small People," and partly of the notes taken by some of his hearers at later lectures. A second volume is to be published shortly, describing his work at the Little Commonwealth. The Bishop of Liverpool writes a courageous introduction which will reassure many people who had seen Mr. Lane with his boys and girls in Dorset, and who were astounded at the charges brought against him which led to the closing of the Commonwealth. Lane's work lives in the changed lives of these children rather than in any words he spoke or wrote, but both parents and teachers will find much in these Talks to guide and stimulate them. Psycho-Analysis. By Dr. E. JONES. (6d. Benn.) Intelligence and Mental Growth. By C. A. CLAREMONT. (2s. 6d. net. Kegan Paul.)

The Child and Society: an Introduction to the Social Psychology of the Child. By Dr. PHYLLIS BLANCHARD. (10s. 6d. net. Longmans.)

The Hand and the Mind. By M. N. LAFFAN.
Kegan Paul.)

(4s. 6d. net.

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UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS.-The recently-issued Annual Report of the University of Leeds refers to the year 1926-27 as one of the most eventful in its history. Important building operations, determining the future of the University, were projected, commenced, or completed, a sports field was opened, the Medical Faculty was greatly extended, and finally, Sir Edward Brotherton gave £100,000 for a new library building. On considering the design for the new buildings, it was decided to proceed immediately with much-needed accommodation for the Department of Mining, towards which it is noteworthy that the Miners' Welfare Fund has made a grant of £10,000. The new agricultural building was available for the British Association meeting in September, and additions to Weetwood Hall Hostel for Women were completed in time for the October term, while work has been commenced on an additional wing for the textile section of the Clothworkers' buildings. The Yorkshire Council of the British Empire Cancer Campaign founded a chair of experimental pathology and cancer research, providing also for the staff and equipment of a new department, and Dr. R. D. Passey, the new professor, and his staff, have taken over temporary premises. Several members of the teaching staff received leave of absence to make visits and to lecture overseas. An outstanding event of the year was, of course, the meeting of the British Association, and no doubt many of our readers were able to see and hear for themselves the signs of great vitality in this, one of the younger universities of Great Britain.

(1) The Corridors of Time.

III. Peasants and Potters. Priests and Kings. By H. PEAKE and H. J. FLEURE. net each. Clarendon Press.)

SCIENCE

IV.

(5s.

(2) The Races of Mankind. By H. J. FLEURE. (6d. Benn.) (3) The Stone Age. By Dr. E. O. JAMES. (3s. 6d. net. Sheldon Press.)

Books on early man and prehistoric archaeology bid fair to overwhelm the student by sheer weight of numbers; and as in many cases the same ground is covered in much the same way it is difficult for any but the expert who appreciates the more subtle points of difference to choose between them. We hope that no one will be misled into under-rating the importance of the "Corridors of Time" by the relatively modest appearance of the volumes. In Vols. III and IV which are now issued, Messrs. Fleure and Peake carry on the story from the time of the food-gatherers to that of the village settlement and the more highly organized forms of society, in which the student may see in the beginnings of the kingship the germ of the great empires and nations to be described in later volumes. In the history of material culture these two volumes are particularly important, for in the earlier the authors deal with the real beginnings of civilization in the domestication of animals, the more primitive forms of agriculture and, most important of all, the cultivation of barley and wheat. The later volume deals with the early ages of metal, of which the discovery and exploitation had momentous results in the history of civilization. The full but critical use which is made in these two volumes of recent literature and the latest discoveries is not their least valuable feature. Prof. Fleure's little book, in Messrs. Benn's popular sixpenny series, will be found a useful pendant and companion to the archaeological volumes mentioned above of which he is part author. Here he has worked out more fully over a wider field views on the ethnological history of man upon which the larger book touches only incidentally as the argument requires. The two books supplement and explain one another, though the smaller is necessarily much condensed. The Rev. E. O. James' book, "The Stone Age," will be found a more or less straightforward statement of current views on archaeology and prehistoric anthropology in which the author has endeavoured to confine himself to facts and avoid theory-a somewhat difficult task where so much depends on inference.

Man a Machine: in Answer to a Romantical and Unscientific Treatise Written by Signor Eugenio Rignano and Entitled "Man Not a Machine." By J. NEEDHAM. (2s. 6d. net. Kegan Paul.)

In this polemical, and philosophical, rather than physiological, essay, vitalism is effectively refuted. Its general tenor can be gathered from the following extracts: Purposiveness exists everywhere, it permeates the whole universe and is not a unique characteristic of life"; Universal teleology, however significant it may be to the philosopher, has absolutely nothing to do with the sphere of the scientific worker." The Ramblings of a Bird Lover. By Dr. C. E. RAVEN. (10s. 6d. net. Hopkinson.)

Canon Raven's book exemplifies the value of a hobby as a relaxation in the life of a busy man. It is almost a diary of his excursions in quest of photographs of birds-chiefly of nestlings. Occasionally we are given, regarding himself and members of his family, details which would be more in place in a book printed for private circulation only; but numerous observations that are of real interest to the scientific ornithologist make ample amends for these pardonable indiscretions.

(1) An Introduction to Biology. By Prof. W. J. DAKIN. (6d. Benn.)

(2) The Body: an Introduction to Physiology.

MACFIE. (6d. Benn.)

By Dr. R. C.

(3) Evolution. By Prof. E. W. MACBRIDE. (6d. Benn.) Though these three admirable booklets are not professedly dependent on one another, the layman will probably gain most by reading them in the order suggested above. In (1) are set forth and clearly explained the fundamental phenomena exhibited by living organisms, both plant and animal. (2) Deals with human physiology in simple and interesting fashion; but is not free from serious misprints; e.g. page 27, last line, "right' should be left"; page 43, line 7, blood" should be "air"; page 48, line 33, oxis" should be axis"; page 67, line 34, "biconcave should be 'biconvex "-to mention only the most glaring. (3) We commend to the attention of biologists as well as of general readers; for Prof. MacBride critically examines the theories that have been put forward to account for organic evolution. He finds Natural Selection insufficient

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to explain all the phenomena, and stresses the evidence pointing to the inheritance of acquired habits.

Archimedes, or The Future of Physics. By L. L. WHYTE. (2s. 6d. net. Kegan Paul.)

In this stimulating little monograph, Mr. L. L. Whyte reviews the position of present-day physics, and attempts to forecast the lines of future progress. He lays great stress on the question of the reversibility or irreversibility of natural processes, and points out that an entirely new set of ideas is necessary for describing processes which proceed in one direction, so that one particular state of the system must precede another state. He argues that the solution of this problem provides the key to a great intellectual struggle which is now in progress. Is the passage

of irreversible time a necessary element in any view of the structure of nature? If, as Born has suggested, the fundamental atomic processes are irreversible, life is no longer to be regarded as an arbitrary irruption in a world of mechanical law, since mechanical laws represent only the limiting case when the irreversibility is vanishingly small. Science must recognize the significance of life within the realm of natural law.

An Introduction to Chemistry: For Lower Forms of Secondary Schools. By J. MORRIS. (3s. Methuen.)

When we reviewed this book in our February issue, we made the suggestion that Mr. Morris should write a book on similar lines but of Higher Certificate standard. We are now informed that Mr. Morris has already written such a book ("Outlines of Chemistry," Part II, Methuen & Co., Ltd.), and are glad to take this opportunity of bringing it to the notice of our readers. Classified Problems in Physics. Part I. Mechanics and Hydrostatics. By D. B. BRIGGS and M. BRIGGS. Part II. Magnetism and Electricity. Part III. Heat Light, and Sound. By D. B. BRIGGS. (Parts I and II, 3s. each. Part III, 3s. 6d. Sidgwick & Jackson.)

The problems collected together in these volumes are intended for the use of students preparing for School Certificate, Matriculation, Oxford and Cambridge Locals, or College of Preceptors examinations. A number of the problems are taken from recent examination papers. Each section commences with a brief revision of the theory of principles involved; and worked examples are added for the further guidance of students. Theoretical Chemistry for Junior Forms. By H. PRESTON. (IS. 9d. Arnold.)

A pleasant little book, readable and interesting. It is very light, and should be suitable for use in elementary schools and in the lower forms of central and secondary schools. Mr. Preston has had a good deal of teaching experience and turns it to advantage in his treatment of difficulties. In the next edition, the ugly word Islamite might be replaced by Moslem or Muslim, though it is true that Islamite has Tennyson's authority. Experimental Science. II. Chemistry. By S. E. BROWN. (3s. 6d. Cambridge University Press.)

The revised edition of Mr. S. E. Brown's well-known little book contains certain alterations and additions in the print and also a few new diagrams and examples; otherwise there are no changes. We think Mr. Brown is right to leave the general scheme untouched, as it has abundantly proved its usefulness. We have pleasure in once again warmly recommending the book to teachers.

Inorganic Chemistry. Vol. II. Mainly Metals. By Dr. G. H. BAILEY and Dr. D. R. Snellgrove. (6s. 6d. University Tutorial Press.)

This book is of the type which we have come to associate with the University Tutorial Press; it is workmanlike, concise, clear, up to date, and very much to the point. Drs. Bailey and Snellgrove have done their work well, and if the reviewer were once again a student for the intermediate science degree he would certainly use their book. By a slip, on page 146 the date 1808 is given for the isolation of sodium and potassium, instead of 1807.

The Structure and Properties of Matter. By Dr. W. A. CASPARI. (6d. Benn.)

A delightful little book, in which the main facts of the structure of matter are clearly and attractively expounded. As an example of the author's compelling use of simile, we may quote the following: Particles of argon may be compared to balls, of oxygen to dumb-bells, and of ozone to pawnbrokers' signs." (Continued on page 272)

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