i 5 4 LIFE AND EXPERIENCES CHAP. 



Reviews of the first volume of this book were very 

 favourable, and the opinion expressed that it was 

 destined to take rank as the English treatise on 

 chemistry has, I may say, without egotism, since been 

 fully borne out. Schorlemmer at once translated it 

 into German ; it was published in 1880 by Vieweg ; 

 and the reception it met with in Germany, both from 

 the reviewers and the public, was even more favourable 

 than was the case in England. 



From time to time fresh editions of the book 

 were called for in both countries. Owing to Schor- 

 lemmer's untimely death in 1892 (see portrait), the 

 English Organic part, for which he was specially 

 responsible, has not been finished, and I fear it 

 never will be. The task of writing a complete 

 work on organic chemistry is an extremely difficult 

 one, inasmuch as this portion of the science is not 

 only constantly receiving enormous additions, but 

 also undergoing changes which are truly revolutionary. 

 Hence before the end of the subject is reached, the 

 earlier volumes are already antiquated. In the last 

 few years the inorganic volumes have been re-written, 

 and I have been aided in this by my friends and former 

 pupils Drs. Colman and Harden, so that at any rate 

 the two volumes of the inorganic portion will be com- 

 plete and up-to-date. A new German edition has re- 

 cently been published under the editing care of 

 Professor Classen in Aachen, and is largely used in 

 the colleges and technical schools in Germany, whilst 

 the organic portion of the work has now been 

 completed in German, thanks to the labours of 

 many contributors, especially of Professor BrUhl of 

 Heidelberg. 



Before closing this account of my literary work I 

 wish to add a few words about the late Mr. Alexander 



