94 Revieivs — Coal in Great Britain. 



pit country are scarcely even suggested. In general, however, the 

 notices are as full as can reasonably be expected. 



The chief defect of the work, if it can be considered a defect, is 

 inseparable from its subject. The British Empire is not a geological 

 unit. It consists of a number of fragments which belong, 

 geologically, not to the British Empire, but each to its own 

 surroundings. In the case of the larger areas this is no serious 

 draM^back, but in the case of the smaller ones the descriptions lose 

 their point and interest because their connexions are not brought out. 

 Dr. Reed has done his best to neutralize the defect. In describing 

 the British West Indies, for instance, he gives a short account of the 

 West Indies as a whole ; but it is very brief, and is practically 

 confined to an exposition of Suess's views on the subject. In 

 several other regions it has not been possible to do even so much as 

 this. Such a criticism, however, is directed not against the book 

 itself but against its limits. Considered from a literary point of 

 view the book lacks unity ; considered as a work of reference it 

 is like a smgle volume of an encyclopedia. 



A work of praise is due to the maps. As might be expected at 

 the present time they are not coloured, but nevertheless they 

 are remarkably clear. The signs have been judiciously selected, 

 and there is no attempt to show more detail than the method will 

 bear. They will certainly save the reader a great deal of trouble, 

 even if he is fortunate enough to have access to the originals on which 

 they are based. 



^ P. L. 



Coal IN Great Britain. By Walcot Gibson, D.Sc. pp. vii^Sll, 

 with . viii plates and text-figures. London : Edward Arnold. 

 1920. 21s. 

 T^PIIS book is an outgrowth from the author's work on The 

 -*- Geology of Coal and Goal Mining, and is to a very considerable 

 extent a new book. The earlier chapters are taken from the older 

 book, with many additions, but the chapters dealing with the 

 geology of foreign coalfields have been omitted, while the descrip- 

 tions of the British Coalfields have been extended and illustrated by 

 a new series of clearly printed and well-designed maps showing their 

 main structural features. The descriptions of the coalfields are 

 admirable : they are very masterly examples of condensation, 

 which, though devoid of superfluous or unessential matter, yet 

 contain all the points necessary to render the descriptions clear and 

 lucid. Criticism, however, may be passed on the methods of 

 describing the positions of places, collieries, faults, etc. The maps, 

 though clearly drawn and admitting of no doubt as to their meaning, 

 are yet often of little immediate use in following the descriptions in 

 the text. Place-names, often of obscure hamlets, bridges, and the 

 like, are introduced freely with little or no indication of their 

 approximate position, an omission which necessitates much prolonged 



