Reynaud. — History of Minerals. 555 



I. — HiSToiRE Elementaire des Mineraux Usuels par Jean Eet- 

 NAUD. 2ine editioB. 3 planches. 8vo. pp. 312. Paris : L. 



Hachette & Cie. 1867. 



THIS little book is one of the series called the " Bibliotheque des 

 Mervielles." It is quite an elementary treatise, as stated in 

 the title, on the common minerals, and has been written in the hope 

 of popularizing the study of mineralogy amongst those who have 

 not the leisure to penetrate deeply into the science, but desire to 

 know a little of what is daily going on around them. Being only 

 addressed to those who have no previous knowledge of the subject, 

 the author has, as far as practicable, avoided all technical language ; 

 nor does he enter into theories, only treating of the minerals gene- 

 rally met with in every-day life, and these more with regard to their 

 commercial uses than their physical laws. 



With this object in view, he has divided all minerals into five 

 great classes, viz. : — les Pierres, les Terres, les Combustibles, Mine- 

 rals metalliques, et les Eaux minerales. The substances comprised 

 in these divisions he has taken in the order of their relative import- 

 ance to man in the arts and manufactures, only describing those that 

 are at present useful, and passing over those whose interest is purely 

 scientific. 



Each division of the book is commenced with a short intro- 

 ductory chapter, the first of which, for instance, describes what is 

 usually understood by the word " rock," gives an account of pierres 

 en general, of the principal elements of which the most abundant 

 rocks are composed. Next follow chapters on granite, including its 

 varieties, syenite, etc. on porphyry, limestones, sandstones, etc., at 

 the end of which are given short notices of the less important 

 siliceous, carbonaceous, and other minerals, such as lapis-lazuli, 

 malachite, or fluor, describing their appearance, composition, pro- 

 perties, uses, durability when used as building materials, localities, 

 method of working, and their histories, where they have been known 

 to, and used by the ancients. The last chapter of this division is 

 devoted to precious stones. 



The second division, "les Terres," comprises soils, brick-earths, 

 china-clay, etc. 



" Les Combustibles " are, of course, coal, peat, bitumen, and sulphur. 



" Les Minerals metalliques " describes the ores and other of the 

 principal metals, with the methods of reducing them. 



The last division treats of " les Eaux Minerales," and the sub- 

 stances held in solution by them. 



Three chromo-lithographs accompany the text, and, considering 

 the price (Is. 8d.), we must not be too critical of the details. 



This book being of so elementary a nature, we cannot expect it 

 to have many readers in this country, but we hope that it may have a 

 large circulation in France, for we feel sure that if any one reads it 

 through, they will be tempted to go more deeply into this interest- 

 ing study. 



