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JOURNAL OF CHElNICAL EDUCATION
revolutionary developments which have taken place in theoretical physics during this period of time. There is still a great deal to be said for the historical approach to the quantum theory. The aspect of quantum mechanics changes so rapidly, almost daily, that those outside the field of action may well hesitate before making the effort necessary to understand the very recent developments. For those who wish to approach the problems of theoretical physics from the older point of view this book may be very useful. It presents the experimental evidence and the points of contact with the older theory which certainly are very important for a clear understanding of our modern theories, and which perhaps have received less emphasis than they should in some of the other recent books on the subject. H. ANDREWS DONALD THBJOANS HOPXINS UNIVBRS~TY BALTISORB. MAR~AND
Modem Textbook in Chemistry. J. ELLIS STANNARD, Instructor in Chemistry, Boys' High School, Brooklyn, N. Y. Academic Book Company. New York 376 pp. 114 Figs. City, 1930. viii 13 X 19 cm. $1.32. I n his desire to avoid the Scylla of "cyclopedic treatment" which he believes to be confusing and discouraging to the young student, the author has fallen into Charybdis. He has written a chemical catechism which may meet fully the requirements "of the New York State Board of Regents, the College Entrance Examination Board, and the American Chemical Society" but it will please few chemistry teachers except the Gradgrinds, with their devotion t o "Facts, Sir, nothing but Factsl" To lop off every item of interest outside the bare bones of a subject will not tend to make i t palatable to the student, however admirable it may be in preparing for a Regents or College Entrance Examination. Not all chemistry teachers will kiss the clay feet of this pair of Collassi. And as sixty per cent of chemistry students probably do not
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JUNE,
1931
go to college, perhaps they would enjoy some of the detail which the author omits. If the illustrations "are used to teach chemistry, not merely to show machinery" we wonder that the picture of Dr. MUikan (Figure 21) is shown with the elaborate and unexplained glassware. But for the assurance of the title, the illustration of Open Pit Iron Ore Mining (Figure 93) might as well be that of Meteor CaEon. A flow sheet diagram would he an improvement aver the titled bottles which are given several places. Incidentally, Michael Faraday is still washing glassware for Sir Humphry Davy. [See J. CHEW.EDUC..7, 859 (Apr., 1930).1 If the author had sought the golden mean between his own text and the extra long texts of which he complains, if he had included a list of supplementary reading, if he had been willing to have cracked a joke once in a while, his text would have been far more human, far nearer to the present objectives of chemical education. This text will be quite useful to the a a m m e r s t o those who, in chemistry, as in other subjects, expect a docile repeating back of statements and opinions. But as a force in civilization, a way of livelihood for thousands of men, i t fails to present live, every-day chemistry to the student. R. E. BOWMAN WTLM~NOTON TRAD& SCHOOL Wn.WWCTON, DBL*W*RB
The Carbon Comvounds. C. W. PORTER, Professor of chemistry, University of Southern California. Second revised edition. Ginn and Co., Boston. Mass., 1931. ix +469 pp. 15 X 23cm. $4.00. The revised edition of Porter's wellknown text adheres very closely to the plan of the first edition, and the changes in form are of minor importance. The introduction has been much abbreviated and the seventeen pages of the first edition's introduction shortened to seven by the omission of a considerable amount of material dealmg with the electron theory. Much new material has been incorporated in the work to bring i t abreast of the
