LITERARY NOTICES 



IX 



LITERAK 



^««>®23<B^® 



War, Science and Civilization. By William 

 E. Ritter. Boston, Massachusetts : Sher- 

 man, French & Company. 

 The author treats the subject biologically 

 exactly as he would treat some phase of na- 

 ture. He does not stop with theories and their 

 proof, but indicates what our nation can do 

 with its present supreme opportunity toward 

 leading the world to permanent peace. 



The Essence of Astronomy. By Edward 

 W. Price. New York City. G. P. Put- 

 nam's Sons. 

 Here is a volume of popular astronomy 

 quite different from the usual variety. 



It answers in untechnical language the 

 everyday questions of ever3'day people, the 

 material being so arranged as to be readily 

 available for reference, as well as for con- 

 secutive reading. 



The ]\Ioon.. By Garrett P. Serviss. New 

 York City. D. Appleton and Company. 

 What i\Ir. Serviss writes on astronomy is 

 always interesting. In this book he has made 

 the subject especially attractive since he has 

 adopted a conversational method, in imitation 

 of the style of an eighteenth century French 

 classic. The entire book is readable and in- 

 structive. We cordially recommend it to our 

 readers. The photographs are the best to be 

 obtained from the Yerkes Observatorv. 



The Call of the Stars. Bv John R. Kippax, 

 M. D., LL. B. New York City. G. P. Put- 

 nam's Sons. 

 This readable book gives a concise and ac- 

 curate story of the starry heavens, together 

 with the legends that time and fancy have 

 associated with them. It is intended, not for 

 professional readers, but for those that desire 

 to know about the wonderful things in the 

 sky with their interesting myths. The illus- 

 trations and charts are effective and interest- 

 ing. We cordially commend the book to those 

 of our readers that are beginning star study. 



Our Dooryard Friends. Bv Sara V. Prueser. 

 Steinway Hall, Chicago, Illinois : "The 

 Platform,'' The Lyceum and Chautauqua 

 Alagazine. 

 This is mostly devoted to birds in fulfill- 

 ment of the author's desire to interest both 

 young and old in the life and beauty of the 

 out-of-doors. She makes no claim to novelty 

 nor to much originality, but she has a thor- 

 oughly good individualistic point of view. 

 The_ book is pleasingly illustrated and the 

 publishers have done their work well. Among 

 the many interesting photographs, perhaps the 

 most attractive is that of a house wren that 

 built her nest in a clothespin bag and there 

 reared her young. 



NOTICES 



^Iy Growing Garden. By J. Horace McFar- 

 land. New York City: The Macmillan 

 Company. 

 When searching for a semi-suburban plot, 

 the author of this book stumbled upon an old 

 house of hybrid design, together with a couple 

 of acres of abandoned vineyard. What he 

 and his family do during a half-dozen years 

 to make out of this a notable garden home, on 

 a scale at once modest yet inspiring, is the 

 theme of the volume. Mr. McFarland is well 

 known for his enthusiasm for forestry and 

 outdoor life, and also as head of the American 

 Civic Association, leading in the fight for the 

 preservation of Niagara Falls. 



Plant Life. By Charles A. Hall, F.R.M.S. 

 Soho Square, London, England : A. & C. 

 Black, Ltd. American Agents : The Mac- 

 millan Company, 64 & 66 Fifth Avenue. 

 New York City. 

 This attractive book treats the subject in 

 a scientific way, but is sufficiently elemen- 

 tary and explicit to interest the general 

 reader. The beautiful illustrations make it 

 an ideal gift book. In addition to the col- 

 ored plates, of which there are several, there 

 are numerous clear and beautiful photog- 

 raphic illustrations. 



The book attempts no detailed description 

 of any special phase of plant life, but rather 

 embodies a broad view of the whole field. 



The Sun. By Charles G. Abbot, S. M. New 

 York City: D. Appleton and Company. 



Everybody is interested in the sun. All 

 life depends upon the sun, but it must be con- 

 fessed that many persons' interest seems to be 

 not all that it should be as a matter of actual 

 knowledge. The design of this book is to have 

 the rays of knowledge reach head and heart 

 and to sweep away the clouds of ignorance 

 that so often obscure those rays. The author 

 has succeeded remarkably well in placing on 

 his pages much that is new to the amateur 

 and of especial interest to the professional 

 astronomer. The book has also been nicely 

 adapted for school and college use as well as 

 for the general reader. The chapter, "The 

 Sun among the Stars." clearly sums up var- 

 ious facts and theories pertaining to the sun. 

 The human race knows but little, compara- 

 tively speaking, regarding the sun and other 

 heavenly bodies, but the author expects much 

 in the future, as he states : 



'There still remains, and ever will remain 

 in solar and stellar investigation, room for 

 such work; and on the thorough doing of it 

 in our time the wonderful flowers of future 

 discovery, whose beauty our eyes cannot see, 

 or our imaginations picture, must largely de- 

 pend." 



