LITERARY NOTICES. 



557 



A Reading Diary of Modern Fiction. 

 Containing a Representative List of the 

 Novels of the Nineteenth Century, pre- 

 ceded by Suggestive Remarks on Novels 

 and Novel-reading. New York : F. Ley- 

 poldt. Pp. 150. 



The main object of this work is stated 

 to be " to present a survey of all that is 

 considered worth reading in the domain of 

 modern fiction, and thus to make easy a 

 daily record of what has been read and 

 what to read next, with a view to compar- 

 ing notes and a mutual exchange of recom- 

 mendations among congenial friends." For 

 this purpose a column in each page is given 

 of " Books worth Reading," and is followed 

 by blank columns for estimating merit, and 

 recording other books that may be suggest- 

 ed. Our remark is, that the catalogue is too 

 full. We should not like any one for whose 

 mental cultivation we cared to become ac- 

 quainted with so many novels. If the list 

 were only one tenth as large, it would be 

 many times more valuable. 



The Practice of Commercial Organic 

 Analysis. By Alfred LI. Allen, F. I. C, 

 F. C. S., Lecturer on Chemistry and 

 Public Analyst. Volume II, Hydro-car- 

 bons, Fixed Oils and Fats, Sugars, Starch, 

 Alkaloids, and Organic Bases, etc. Phil- 

 adelphia : Presley Blakiston. 1882. 8vo. 

 Pp. 561. Price, $5. 



To those chemists who are already the 

 fortunate possessors of the first volume of 

 Mr. Allen's work, it will be good news to 

 know that the second volume has at last 

 been issued, for its appearance has been 

 awaited with some impatience. In the for- 

 mer volume we had a full description of the 

 alcohols, with the acids and ethers derived 

 from them ; also the phenols, carbolic, sali- 

 cylic, and benzoic acids, as well as all the 

 cyanogen bodies. The present volume, which 

 is much larger than the former, contains 

 the new methods of analysis of many arti- 

 cles of present interest. The analytical 

 chemist will probably turn first to the chap- 

 ter on glucose and grape-sugar, for on these 

 subjeefs reliable and practicable information 

 is meager. Here, for the first time, we be- 

 lieve, methods for estimating maltose are 

 given, and attention is called to the error 

 which it causes when Fehling's solution is 

 employed for the estimation of dextrose in 

 commercial glucose. The method of de- 



termining dextrose, maltose, and dextrine in 

 the same solution from the rotatory and re- 

 ducing power, in connection with the spe- 

 cific gravity of the solution, is clearly and 

 concisely given. 



Next in interest to glucose is the analy- 

 sis of butter, and, although the chemist has 

 not yet attained perfection in this, we find 

 here the best methods known at present for 

 detecting oleomargarine. The last chapter, 

 a lengthy one, is devoted to aniline deriva- 

 tives, the assay of aniline dyes, the identifi- 

 cation of coal-tar colors, and the recognition 

 of dyes on tissues. 



We bespeak for the book the most fa- 

 vorable attention, because it is the only com- 

 plete work on this subject in the English 

 language, because it is new and up to the 

 times, and because its author is well known 

 as a practical analyst. The work is indis- 

 pensable to the laboratory. 



Currency ; or, The Fundamental Princi- 

 ples of Monetary Science postulated, 

 explained, and applied. By Hugh 

 Bowlby Willson. New York : G. P. 

 Putnam's Sons. Pp. 309. Price, $1.50. 



The author contemplated, when he be- 

 gan, many years ago, his investigations on 

 the subject of this work, writing a synopsis 

 of the theories and practices of ancient and 

 modern nations in respect to their curren- 

 cies, but soon discovered that he would not 

 have time to perform the task. The pres- 

 ent work, the scope of which is more limit- 

 ed, has grown out of a series of postulates 

 which he published in 1875^76, in a Loritlon 

 journal, for the purpose of directing atten- 

 tion to the desirability of embodying the 

 ascertained and generally accepted princi- 

 ples of monetary science in a few " simple 

 if not self-evident" propositions. Professor 

 Bonamy Price, of Oxford, wrote him a note 

 of thanks for his letter, saying, " It is ex- 

 ceedingly good, and I rejoice over it much, 

 especially the postulates and principles." 

 Much space is devoted to attacking the 

 " prejudices and ignorance " which uphold 

 the present systems of issuing and supply- 

 ing paper money, they containing much that 

 is regarded as at variance with scientific 

 principles. The plan of delegating the issue 

 of paper money to banking corporations 

 other than the government is assailed ; and 



