CURRENT LITERATURE 
BOOK REVIEWS 
Texts for secondary schools 
The authors of Applied biology' do not wish to indicate by the title any 
unusual predominance of economic material. Their book is a text of general 
biology, in which the materials used do not differ particularly from those com- 
monly found in secondary texts of botany and zoology. This book.is certainly 
very much superior to that type of textbook in general biology which consists 
of three wholly distinct books bound within the same cover, but one may find 
reason for doubting that even here we have a satisfactory organization of 
botany, zoology, and human physiology into a single instructional unit. It is 
of interest to note that but 10 per cent of the book is sufficiently “general” to 
hinder its transfer bodily to textbooks of botany, zoology, or physiology 
There are a number of minor botanical errors, but these will not hinder the 
book from being successfully used where it is desired to conduct a general 
biology course. It is unfortunate that many of the cuts were copied from 
other books with the original labeling, and this is in many cases not explained 
by the legend. 
The textbook of botany by ANDREWS? is evidently a revision of the earlier 
book by the same author, intended to meet the present demand for instruction 
in botany “with especial reference to agriculture, economics, and sanitation.” 
It quite fails to measure up to the demand. The insertion of a few paragraphs 
on economic subjects is not sufficient to metamorphose a book into the type 
for which the present popular demand calls. Judged by any standards other 
than the present popular enthusiasm for applied material, the text of the book 
would be considered satisfactory. The illustrations are much less satisfactory. 
A large number of the cuts have been copied, sometimes without credit. The 
photographs have been retouched and otherwise modified to the point of 
falsification. It seems unpardonable in these days of easy illustration to 
attempt to show the characteristics of climbers by a “faked” photograph of a 
grape vine, or to illustrate important principles of plant breeding by a drawing 
with the same scientific and artistic merit as a country newspaper cartoon. 
One cannot but feel that in its present form the book is not worthy of its 
author or of its publishers. 
t BicEtow, M. A., and aguitl A.N., Applied biology. 8vo. pp. xi+583. figs. 
166. New York: Macmillan. 
2 ANDREWS, E. F., A sa ie course in botany, with editorial revision by F. E. 
Liovp. ioe op ix+374. figs. 511. New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: American 
Book Co. 
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