β Scribed by Briggs, J. F.
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
thc crtructural ekmentr of #!.ants. By CROSE and BEVAN. N e w Impressipn ioith 4 supplpment. Pp. 3.10. (Lotidon: Longtnatia, Qrcetr and 00. l9lS.) Price 148. net. It I s ruther dlflicult to my angthlng new in a review of a book nWch first ww the llght nenrlp n qunrter of :i century ugo. Cross iind Bevnn'r: I' Ccilulosc " has been for that length of time the only standard English n70rk of reference on that 8 subject and for most of the time the only compre. hensire nionogrnph in nriy iitnguage. For the very reason of the estremc impor1:incv tind value of this book, it is much to be regrcttcvl tliat thc authors have not secn their way to re-cast the old.niuttcr and re-write the cutire work in a lucid and coordin:!ted miinner, giving to cricli rispcct of tlic subjcct tlic degree of iniporlnnce justified by its up-to-dnte perspcctive. The time ~v n s dpe for n really constructive and carefully designed trentlsc on mllulose ci1cn1istry 1vi111 the l.lleorctic~ll 3SI)CCt all the time in the foreground, giving n connected and reasoned survcy of the m m s of espcrimentril informution accumulated nround this very cnIlcing subject. For such ti work 110 one 1s better qunllfied tlicin tile authors; their reputiitlon for insight, knowledge und esimlcnce in cellulose xnntters is fully rccognisctl. Conipiired witli such n trcntisc ns they could write, Schwnlbe's nionograpli would rank merely ns a conscientious but uninspired cntiilogue of fncts, important nnd unimportant, without a leading motive. Juclged as n liternry cll'ort, Cross and Bevan's Cellulosc " has ncver hexi a conspicuous success. Critics of former editlone have rcpeotedly pointed out that the language is dillleuit, the style is super-learncd iind obseurc, ond the subject uiiitter 1s disconncctcd. With soiiic of this mutter Incor-
π SIMILAR VOLUMES
This book contains much valuable information on tlic synthesis of fats, carl~oliytlrntcs ant1 proteins, and on tlic clicmistry of respiration and
It may perliaps bc mentioned that with the cxccption of t.hc appendix tho tllird edition has becn rcproduccd aiiastatically from tlic second, niid is thcreforc less pleasant to read. \* Tlic rcfcrcnces to litcraturc arc cstraordinarily iiu~nerous and complctc, English journals being by no nicaiis ii