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Recent Books The Spirit of Chemistry. An Introduction t o Chemistry for Students of the Liberal Arts. ALEXANDERFINDLAY, Professor of Chemistry. University of Aherdeen. Longmans. Green and Ca., London, New York, Toronto, 1930. 480 pp. 88 figures, 62 portraits xvi and illustrations. 21.5 X 14 em. $3.00.
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graph is given to the experimental work of the last five years on the wave properties of matter. The silence on the modern theories of solutions will also be disappointing to those who are dependent upon the genius of s man like Alexander Findlay to interpret for them the technicalities of modern science. Such topics would serve t o show the liberal arts student that chemistry is a growing science theoretically as well as industrially, and t h a t some of our most fundamental concepts are undergoing change. JOHNR. SAMPEY
~h~~~who read with pleasure and profit the author,s work, in the Service of Man,u will find in the present volume even a greater treat. Professor Findlay refers to the former as "the HOW*RDCOLLBCB first roueh B~RM~WGH ALIBAIA AM. - sketch of this work." "The Spirit of Chemistry" has more than twice the number of c h a ~ t e r soresent in the The Science of Everyday Life. EDGAR F. VANBUSEIRK,Head of the Departolder volume, and it is much fuller in ment of Science, Stephens College, historical and biographical material. he number of figures, portraits, and illustra. Columbia, Missouri; EDITH LILLIAN tions has also been increased. S ~ H Recently . Instructor, Boston while the book remains unsurpassed in Teachers' College; and WALTERL. the richness f, its historical and bio. NOURSE, Vice Principal. John Burgraphical features, it is somewhat disaproughs Junior High School. Los Anpoillting in its presentation industrial geles. Revised edition. Houghton TI,^ question of how much Mifflin Company, New York City, 1930. space should be devoted t o industrial xvii 620 PP. 297 figures. X l4 processes in a text for students of the Cm. $160. liberal arts is one upon which there is no Several excellent general science textagreement today among educators, hut books have appeared within the last few surely such important industries as those years, emphasizing the fact that general manufacturing rayon, paper, and electric science has came t o occupy a place of furnace products are deserving of more permanence in the science sequence of than one Page each. And few American secondary schools and that educators chemical engineers would allot twice the realize i t fills a mast vital need. More space t o the manufacture of candles t h a t than twice as many students are enrolled is given to the carbonization of coal. in general science as in any other science. The theoretical treatment is so masterly The present volume is a revision of a that the reviewer for one is ruffled that widely used textbook k s t appearing in the author did not treat some of the more 1919 and later revised in 1925. Two rerecent advances. The classical laws of visions of an originally meritorious textchemistry are developed fully and criti- hook in a little more than ten years is cally, and the illustrations and demon- indicative of the rapid changes occurring in strations of the same are aptly selected. science. A science textbook which is not The chapter on atomic structure closes, revised every five or so years is practically however, with scarcely a reference to the out of date. The authors were formerly Bohr and Lewis models, and only a para- general science teachers, giving them a 3018
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VOL. 7, No. 12
RECENTBOOKS
background which is reflected in the practical nature characterizing the textbook. The introduction is written by Thomas H. Briggs of Teachers' College, Columbia University, who calls attention to the youth of general science, the hesitancy a t first on the part of educators to accept it, and the philosophy and principles underlying the general science course. The book represents a real revision of the previous edition bath in subject matter and in organbation. The questionable tendency of textbook writers to add additional pages to their revision has resulted in 115 pages being added to this book. I n this case the addition seems justifiable as the new edition includes suggested lesson plans; a better mechanical organization of the book; a review outline for pupils; and a more complete list of suggested individual projects, reports, and reference hooks. The attractive cover, pictures, and illustrations represent an improvement over those of the previous edition. It seems to the reviewer that the reference book lists a t the end of each chapter could he made more usable by including the price of the book listed and the lmatian of the publishing firm. The subject is organized into twentyone chapters under five major topics of Air, Water, Food, Protection, and The Work of the World. As in the previous editions there are a series of projects and interesting experiments. Some experiments are to be performed by the classes as a whole, some by pupils working in groups, some individually, and some a t home. Reading a.;signments are listed to be given out after the completion of the series of related problems. The authors recommend that class notebooks be kept by the pupils and a few rules for keeping notebooks are included. The keeping of a science scrap book is noted as a desirable type of pupil activity. The subject matter seems t o be well balanced. well armnized, interestinalv .. written, and sufficiently comprehensive. The topic "Weather" is included under the
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unit "Water and How We Use It" whereas more commonly i t would have been included under the unit "The Air and How We Use It." The introduction t o Part I1 discusses: Fundamental Conceptions in Science; The Universe; and Time and Space. Somehow, albeit it is well written and interesting, one gets the impression that these topics have been more or less thrown into a book in which the other parts bear a sequential relation t o each other. The book has real merit as a science textbook and is deserving af being classed as one of the better books in a field which probably has the distinction of having the best secondary science textbooks. C. M. PRUITT U N ~ Y OP ~ ALABAMA ~ S ~ Y UNI"B.S.TY,
ALABAN*
The Eighteenth Century Revolution in Science-the First Phase. A N ~ R E W NORMAN MELDRUM, I.E.S., A.R.C.Sc.. D.Sc. Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., Basel Mission Press and Book Depot, Mangalore. India. 1929. vii f 60 pp. 16.5 X 24.8 cm. Paper binding. 4 s. ti d. or Rs. 3/-, or 81.80. "The hook treats of Lavoisier's work during four years, 1772-75. It shows that Lavoisier, early in the year 1773, foretold a revolution in chemistry, even in science, and resolved to bring i t about himself. From then until about the end of the year 1775 was his time of preparation for that revolution-the first phase. "Lavoisier's indebtedness to his contemporaries and his attitude toward them, especially Baeyer and Priestley, have often been discussed. Having gone over the ground again with that advantage, I present fresh conclusions, along with the evidence on which they are based, for the consideration of those oersons who are interested in the history of science." The author has skilfully analyzed the literature in accomplishing his stated Dumoses. Lavoisier is given due credit, . . for example, "His work was inspired by a great motive and controlled by a prin-
