Recent Books Laboratory Manual of Chemistry. By G ~ o n HC,!I.KI) c~ RRUCII. \Vorlcl nook Co Y u n k v r ; - ~ n - l l t ~ ~ IT ~ uY n . , 11124. o hi^ is one f, the many loose leaf themistry notehooks and laboratory manuals which have been in 8 by months. ~h~ sheets inches and are to fit the regular covers used by and also to enable the pupil to write up the experi. merit on paper following the method of the individual instructor. T~~ loose leaf feature enables the teacher t o use his own order of experiments or follow that of anv texthook. The author states in the introduction. "In preparing this laboratory manual th; point of the student has always been kept in mind. The author has tried t o state the directions as definitely as possible and t o refrain from using expressions which are difficult for the average secondary school pupil t o understand. Frequently t h a t which is perfectly clear t o the instructor is quite beyond the comprehension of the average boy and girl. The aim has been t o make the directions so clear that the instructor will not have t o spend valuable time interpreting the experiments, but can give his entire attention t o ohserving the work of the students." The hook as a general thing follows the true laboratory method and endeavors t o make the student observe exactly and draw the correct conclusion by numerous questions. One particularly desirable feature is the request for EQUATION after each chemical reaction minted in hold face type In the opinion of the rcviewr this is one of the hcsr in its class and will repay a n y rcncher for its examitlation.
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Colloid Chemistry. By JEROMEALEXANDER. 2nd edition. 208 pages. D. Van Nostrand Co.. New York. 1924.
the many appli~ati0Ikof colloid chemistry. One G ~ l dwish that fewer suhjects had been treated with more pages, instead of fractions of Dares. for each. And i t seems unfortun& That all refer-
t o llingh:m'% w r k on plnsticlty rhould have l x c n omitted. lluwcver, the author is frr.qucntly clever and entertaining. The section on soaps is well handled, touching on the classical views of Merklen as well as the modem work of McBain and Fisher. Bread is given special attention while the author's special interest in metals and alloys is quite evident. I n discussing milk the blame for "sandiness" m ice cream is wrongly attributed to ice crystals instead to lactose crysta1s. On the the is good. That is why i t should have been longer. HARRYN. HOLMBS The Story of Early Chemistry. By JOHN MAXSONSTILLMAN.D. Appleton & Co., 1924. This book will appeal t o teachers and advanced students in chemistry. To the former i t will give a vast fund of facts usable in the course of their class instruction, while to the latter i t offers source material for their more exhaustive study. In short, it i s bupplemmtary in charoctrr and cunstructiun, as well il, In contents,t o most of the more rccrnt vulurncs rclntina t o the history of chemistry. The writer is quite sure that if read and discussed a t length in chemical seminars it will be declared t o he admirable. But. i t lacks that versond touch which t o the writer means bo much in d l chemical instruction. I n a dignified composition, such as this publication, however, it mieht seem a hit stranxe. or out of dace. to-hrina in the perso&< element, which recalls that on one occasion when in conversation with "Billy" Mason (you all know that superb teacher up a t Troy), the writer timidly ventured t o narrate how he taught qual&ative analysis-throwing in all sorts-of illustrations t o elucidate his various prohlems-when the dignified Sir William P. smilinelv remarked. "But vou wouldn't dare put-all that into a bbok which you might write on the fascinating subject of Qualitative Analysis." The writer was humbled and subdued. vet he couldn't rid himself of the ever r&&rring thouaht, "Why Not?" We welcome this excellent hook. We mourn the passing away of its distineuished author. WWQ
