TORBERN BERGMAN: A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HIS WORKS
Biqitta Most&, Almqvist & WikseU, Stockholm. 120 pp. 1 2 X 18.5 cm. 24 Swedish crowns.
THIS carefully compiled bibliography forms part of a series of Hergmsn poblietltions sponsored by the Swedish Nstional Association of Soft Drinks M:~nufaeturers. I t is conveniently arranged in ahronological order and is well indexed both sceording to subjeot,~:natural history, physirs and meteorology, chemintry and mineralogy, history of chemistry and mctcoldom, commemoration speeches, autobiography, reviews, and t,ranslations, and a h under the lsnguage headings. American historians of chemistry will he plcasod to know that x surprisingly largc number of Bcrgman's works are available in Engliah translation. The author's introduction, the postscript by Bertel Linder, and the subject headings of the index are all in English. The follou~ingsubjects taken from the section on chemistry and mineralogy may give some idea of Bergmm's versatility: acid of air, acid of sugar; preparation of alum; the art of assaying in tho wet way; elective attractions; the blowpipe; brick burning; urinary calculi; fulminating celx of gold; the u~efulnessof chemistry; arsenic, cobalt, nickel, platinum, msnganese, tungsten; the Corm ofe~~ystals; ashrs-
tine earth, t,he earth of gems, dieeous eart,h; a natural 8ystem of fossils (minerals); spring water, sea, water, wst,er analysis; hasalts; zinc ores; history of chemistry during the middle ages, and the origin of chemistry. Ono of the items listed is a letter from Joseph Priestley, dated Octoher 21, 1772, an excerpt of which Bergman translstcd from Latin and published in a, Swedish journal. I n this l~tteP r ~ k s t l c ygave a t Bergmsn's request a brief acrount of Rome of his most important observations. The fronbispiecp of the hibliopaphy is an excellent reproduction of a Wedgnood portrait medallion of Bergrnsn. The entire volume is a worthy trihute to the memory of this great Swedish sricntist who played such s large part in the- eighteenth-century historv of chemistry in genrral and in particular in the history of several rhemical elements, such as cobalt, nickel, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten, that were discovered during his lifet,ime. M A R Y ELVIRA W E E K S D~rno7.r.M m r i o ~ x
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING REPORTS Kenneth A. Kobe, Professor of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas. Fourth edition. Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York and London, 1957. viii 175 pp. 22 X 28.5 om. $3.
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THIScollege textbook is subtitled "How to Search the Literature and Prepare s. Report"; ahout a third of the hook is
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
devotcd to dcvoloping the first part of tho suhtitle and t,o bibliographies. This is indeed n nclnome and much needed addition to t,he training of young scientists and engineers. I t secms rather out of proportion to use almost n fifth of the book to discuss such mechanical details ns typing and r e p r e duction prorrsses. Since the author advises young onginecrs entering hu~inesvto use his format if their eompsnie~do not have style manuals, it is unfortunate that he should have chosen such an unusual format, especially with regard t,o side headings. Tho material in tho tqqxxdixes, napecially the lists of approved abbreviations and syml)ols, is especially well chosen. Sinrr good technical report writing i~ really just good expository writing, the author wisely avoided the usual copybook maxims and emphasized those aspect8 of report writing that present special problems. However, i t is this ~ w i e ~ v e r ' s opinion that much more should have been witton nhout tho prcscntation of teohnieal data which is the most distinguishing ionture of technical reports. Tho book covers thc purpose, form, and organimtion of the more common type8 oi I . P ~ O I ~ S : business, letter, text, formal engineering, and laboratory reports. ETIIALINE CORTELYOU l n ~ o u nRE~EARC,, P"~N"I~~"N C,r,c*oo 16. I L L I N O ~ ~
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY Courtenoy Phillips, Fellow of Merton College, University Demonstrator in Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford. Academic Press Inc., New York, 1956. x 105 pp. Many figs. and tables. 14 X 22 cm. $3.80
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THIShook, which is t,hr first to appear on the subject, should be of special interest to nll who are using or considering the use of gas chromatography. The author is well qualified t,o writ,e such a book since he was among the first to do research in this field, and he and his students h e w contributed several vnluahlr papers t,o the literature. Thc book is designed to give a hrozd survey of work in the field. On the basis of the literature available a t the time it was written, the author discusses theoretr ical principles, describes the apparatus, materials. and teehniouc~uscd. and n r e and technically correct,. I t is inevitable that m y book on gas chromatography appearing during this period of its prodigious increase in popularity must be somewhat out of dat,e when it is published. Phillips's hook contains no reforonces dated later than 1955. Less than onohslf of the papers presently available on the subject had a p p ~ a r e da t that time. In spite of this handicap, the book is a valuable aomce of information on gas
VOLUME 34, NO. 10, OCTOBER, 1957
