^ett&iâ, Λnolhcr
ta
Invc&ligtilion
DKAH S I R :
A recent letter by Ilarrouff (C&EN, 26, 4 IS) brought t o mind your recent editorial on the Role of the Book Reviewer (C&EN, 25, 3633). W e were prompted to make a brief investigation of books and their re views i n society publications during 1947, a fairly representative 3'ear. Book titles listed in Chemical Abstracts, 4 1 , were counted. Λ total of SI 7 were found. Of these, 529 were in English, and 2SS were in foreign languages. T h e books o r pamphlets with less t h a n 100 pages comprised 1 1 % of the English group and 2 2 % of the foreign language group. A t times Chemical Abstracts referred t o a re view, b u t in most cases no reference was given. Most of the listings were for pub lications of t h e current year, some were for the previous year, and a few were older than t h i s . Book reviews in four current publica tions were then counted. 0&Ελ τ for 1947 h a d 1S1 reviews of which 100 titles could b e found in CA by means of the author indexes of volumes 39, 40, and 4 1 . T h e Journal of the American Chemical Societij published 31 reviews of which 2 3 titles were located in CA and 1G were reviewed i n C & E N a s well. Analytical Chemistry published 21 reviews of which 12 were listed in CA. J. Chan. Ed. published 102 reviews of which 80 were listed in CA a n d 4 6 were reviewed in C & E N . After most of the duplication was accounted for, lçss t h a n 270 books were reviewed in t h e four periodicals. Now presumably CA p r o m p t l y lists all of these particular books soon after t h e review a p p e a r s since it is in a Society publication. However, about 1O0 t i t l e s could not be located in CA and about 75 of these were of books which were reviewed in C&EN. I t was estimated that 170 books from a potential S00 were reviewed in these journals. Since t h e CA listing was a p p a r e n t l y running 1 7 / 27ths complete, t h e situation was even less favorable. Book reviews a r e important. They are one means b y which a person can learn something about t h e contents and value of a new publication. Advertising literature is not a substitute. A good review is often more valuable t h a n casual thumbing through a volume. Furthermore, there are people w h o do n o t have a conveniently located good book store o r library. For these reasons we submit t h e following p o i n t s for consideration : (1) I t would be desirable if one ACS publication carried a fairly complete s e t of reviews more or less coincident with t h e title listings in Chemical Abstracts. Since this is presumably a useful subject of wide interest, C&E1ST is a logical medium, because of its large circulation. (2) Someone should
800
tae Sdtt&& keep a master list of books a n d their reviews in order t o maintain h a r m o n \ r between distribution of reviews and title listings. The cooperation of publishers and a u t h o r s could be requested for this activity. (3) A system o f exchange with journals in specialized fields might b e useful as a means of lightening t h e t a s k and supplying better reviews. In return these journals could reprint reviews selected from C & E N . Please give us more book reviews a n d help remove t h e question mark from Beyond the Flyleaf. R E I D I I . LEONARD
Pensacola, Fla. Down
ivith
tlie Geneva
System!
DEAR S I R :
The F e b . 16 issue of C & E N carried a paragraph on the indexing system employed b y the Society in publishing Chemical Abstracts. G. 1ST. Dyson, in a seminar at UCLA on "A New System of Chemical Nomenclature," stated t h a t II. Rich ter, working in Germany, would complete the second supplement of Beilstein with information complete to 1929 sometime in 1952. This time lag, he stated, was i n a great p a r t due to the difficulties encountered in indexing and cross referencing.
I sincerely hope t h a t the Society will consider the possibilities of adopting some form of D r . Dyson's cipher system. T o all of us who heard his seminar, the fact t h a t the Geneva system of nomenclature, and hence of indexing, is extremely inadequate, w a s forcibly pointed out. T h e Society might even undertake t o set up in t h e United States a complete index file of chemical compounds arranged in t h e Dyson notation a n d maintained for t h e benefit a n d use of chemists a n d chemical firms in this country. ROLFE II. H E R B E R
Los Angeles, Calif. And
to Our
Surprise
DEAR SIR:
In y o u r issue of F e b . 16 was t h e following s t a t e m e n t (p. 473) : " T h e fact t h a t there is a measurable distortion of t h e polarized light was cited as being evidence of a conflict with classical mathematical theory t h a t a surface has no d e p t h . " This important result agrees with some conclusions t h a t I reached recently b y experiments with straight lines drawn between t w o points o n a sheet of plain white paper. These lines were drawn with a sharp pencil. To m y astonishment, however, careful examination unaer a microscope revealed that the lines actually h a d a measurable width, in clear conflict with the mathematical theory that a line h a s length b u t no width. , HARRY* J. KAMACK
Wilmington,
Del.
*7iom die Sd 'Oeâé~.> \rt€iiiftivul
ijhemi^st
We h a v e j u s t finished, reading a discussion of t h e "Analytical Chemist," written by Lyle E . Calkins, chief chemist, WillysOverland Motors, Inc. r in t h e February number of Toledo Technical Topics, published b y the Toledo Technical Council. Here is a splendid s t a t e m e n t of t h e role of t h e analytical chemist a n d the services he performs for industry and the l a y public. Analytical chemists are, indeed, fortunate t o have individuals i n their midst who c a n write entertainingly.and convincingly. W e t r u s t t h a t t h e analytical chemists i n t h e Toledo area who receive Toledo Technical Topics will circulate this particular issue among their friends. Student
GiMi&unc**
T h e J a n u a r y 1948 issue of Canadian Chemistry and Process Industries carries an account of t h e activities of the Standing Committee o n Student Guidance qf t h e •Chemical I n s t i t u t e of C a n a d a , written b y the chairman, I I . R. L . Strcight. W e urge local sections of t h e AMERICAN
t h a t comes with close association with t h e younger generation. Local sections which seek t o widen activities in t h e field o'f public service can gain a g r e a t deal b y reading D r . Streight's report a n d by reading the A C S booklet, "Vocational Guidance." VzecHs Ilvnor Leffffin T h e Czechoslovakian government has awarded the Czech W a r Cross t o Al Leggin, associate editor a n d author of " P o t o mac Postscripts,'' for meritorious service during the European Campaign. Leggin, a Lieutenant Colonel in t h e CWS, wras with t h e 12th A r m y Group. H e has previously been awarded t h e French Croix d e Guerre with gold s t a r a n d the Belgium Croix de Guerre with Palms. This award was m a d e in B.C. (before Communism).
CHEMICAL SOCIETY to undertake s t u d e n t
guidance work, for we k n o w from personal experience i t s value a n d t h e satisfaction
CHEMICAL
AND ENGINEERING
NEWS
