March 2, 1922] 



NA TURE 



269 



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the book less useful in Lancashire. In the reviewer's 

 opinion it would be better to have a separate book 

 dealing with cotton in more detail. The paper, print- 

 ing, and illustrations are excellent. 



Ancient Tales from Many Lands : A Collection of Folk 

 Stones. By R. N. Fleming. Pp. 193 + ix plates. 

 (London : Benn Bros., Ltd., 1922.) 105. 6d. net. 



Ix bringing together this collection of tales Miss 

 Fleming has cast her net wide. Japan, China, India, 

 North America, Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, 

 and the British Isles, to name only some of the sources, 

 have contributed to a whole which, viewed merely as 

 a collection of folk-tales, is charming both in subject- 

 matter and in style. The author has, however, had 

 more in view than to provide a pleasant pastime for 

 an idle hour. Her aim has been to present in these 

 traditional stories, in which the spirit of the original 

 is preserved as nearly as possible, a picture of the culture 

 and modes of thought of primitive and early historic 

 peoples in a form that can be utilised and interpreted 

 by the teacher, whether of history or social geography, 

 and at the same time appreciated by the child. Miss 

 Fleming adds in an appendix three essays in which she 

 expounds her philosophy of the use of the folk-tale in 

 education and the principles of selection. If any 

 further indication were needed of the thought, wide 

 reading, and experience which have been laid under 

 contribution in the making of this book, it would be 

 orded by these essays. 



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m 



fectioners' Raw Materials : Their Sources, Modes of 

 Preparation, Chemical Composition, the Chief Im- 

 purities and Adulterations, their More Important Uses, 

 and Other Points of Interest. By J. Grant. Pp. 

 viii-H73. (London: Edward Arnold and Co., 

 1921.) Ss. 6d. net. 

 _ author of this little volume set himself no light 

 task in attempting to provide a handbook suited to the 

 needs of students taking organised courses of instruction 

 the principles governing confectionery practice, 

 lese students usually possess little or no knowledge 

 elementary science, while, on the other hand, their 

 iject enters many and varied fields of scientific 

 uiry with which it is by no means easy to deal in 

 simple language. In our opinion the author has skil- 

 fullv compressed into a small volume and in a readable 

 'orm a mass of information, hitherto available only in 

 scattered and relatively difficult literature, which 

 uld be of much assistance to the students concerned, 

 useful introduction is followed by chapters on alco- 

 c beverages used as flavouring agents, carbo- 

 rates, fruits, essential oils, eggs, and egg products ; 

 e is also a useful outline of the methods employed 

 the analysis of raw materials. The book is by no 

 ns without imperfections. The sections dealing 

 h botanical subjects need revision by a botanist, 

 ose recommendations would certainly include sug- 

 tions for alternatives to some of the illustrations on 

 loi. Again, a bibliography which gives as consecu- 

 e entries " Bolton and Revis — Fatty Foods,'' and 

 " Britannica — Encyclopaedia,'' clearly needs drastic 

 revision. Further, the sub-title could easily be 

 improved. 



NO. 2731, VOL. 109] 



Cocoa. By Edith A. Browne. (Peeps at Industries.) 

 Pp. viii-i-88. (London: A. and C. Black, Ltd., 

 1920.) 25. 6d. net. 

 We have had much pleasure in reading this well- 

 illustrated little b6ok, which is a notable addition to 

 a useful series. Miss Browne, who has first-hand 

 knowledge of the Gold Coast, takes her readers on 

 a personally conducted tour through the cocoa-growing 

 districts of the Gold Coast Colony and Ashanti, which, 

 as most people know, now form the premier cocoa- 

 growing region of the world. The information con- 

 veyed in this interesting fashion is complete, accurate, 

 and well arranged, and is supplemented with admirable 

 glimpses of West African life. Balance is given to the 

 book by an account of cocoa-growing in other countries, 

 followed by a description of the manufacture of cocoa 

 products in two well-known English factories. Miss 

 Browne finds opportunity to warn the West African 

 cocoa industry of the potentialities of South American 

 cocoa-growing countries now deprived of their former 

 pride of place. The warning is well timed and merited, 

 not solely on the grounds mentioned by the author. 



A Star Atlas and Telescopic Handbook {Epoch 1920) 

 for Students and Amateurs. By A. P. Norton. 



Pp. 34 + 16 maps. (London : Gall and Inglis, 1921.) 



105. 6d. net. 

 A NEW edition of this useful atlas and astronomical 

 handbook has been published. The maps are clearly 

 printed on a scale of 8° to the inch, and they include 

 stars down to the sixth magnitude, with many fainter 

 objects of interest. The letterpress contains an 

 explanation of all ordinary astronomical terms and 

 much information on both the solar and the stellar 

 systems, together with hints on the use and care of the 

 telescope. There is a clear lunar map, with the names 

 of the principal formations. 



A few errata may be noted : on p. 6, along the 

 circles of 6h. and i8h. R.A. declination and latitude 

 have the same direction ; on p. 10 the annual P.M. 

 of Groom. 1830 is 7", not 17" ; the magnitude of the 

 Barnard star in Ophiuchus is 10, not 13 ; and on p. 11 

 the object entered in the nova fist at the date a.d. 389 

 was certainly a comet and never went near the con- 

 stellation Aquila. The information given, however, 

 is full and accurate with ver^'^ few exceptions. 



A. C. D. C. 



The Practical Electrician's Pocket - book for 1922. 



Twenty-fourth annual issue. Edited by H. T. 



Crewe. Pp. Ixxxiii + 558 + 54. (London : S. Rentell 



and Co., Ltd., 1922.) 35. net. 

 We can recommend this pocket-book to all who are 

 practically engaged in any of the industries in which 

 electricity is used. This edition has been revised and 

 contains new sections dealing with tungar rectifiers, 

 railway signalling and current limiters. The latter are 

 devices which either cause the consumer's lamps to 

 flicker in an intolerable way or to become dim if he 

 tries to take more than his permissible current. 



The Age of Power : A First Book of Energy, its Sources, 

 Transformations, and Uses. By J. Riley. Pp. 

 viii + 248. (London : Sidgwick and Jackson, Ltd., 

 192 1.) 45. net. 



Designed originally for use in continuation schools, 



