GEOGRAPHIC LITERATURE 523 



world. The author describes the accommodations for travel, the hotels 

 and railways, the attitude of the natives toward foreigners, Ihe condition 

 of education, of Christianity, the Japanese moral standards and business 

 integrity, international relations and politics, the condition of Japan's 

 industries, etc. All these subjects are treated with freedom and fullness 

 and by the pen of a master. Mr Ransome finds theoretical education 

 well advanced among the Japanese, but practical education, the power 

 to apply knowledge in doing things, he finds far behind. He judges the 

 work of Christian missionaries to be largely a failure. In 'morals his 

 verdict is that the Japanese are not behind the Anglo-Saxon, but differ- 

 ent. This is a charitable way of characterizing a moral code which sanc- 

 tions polygamy and prostitution. In business integrity the Japanese are 

 behind the Anglo-Saxon, as would very naturally be expected from their 

 want of experience. In modern manufacturing these people are making 

 a good beginning, but have a long road to travel before becoming serious 

 competitors of the great nations. H. G. 



Through Unexplored Asia. By William Jameson Reid. Illustrated by 

 L. J. Bridgman. 8vo, pp. 499, with 3 maps and 52 cuts. Boston : 

 Dana, Estes & Co. 

 This is a narrative of a portion of a notable journey through western 

 China, eastern Tibet, and southern Mongolia during the year 1894 by the 

 author in company with the late George Burton. The extreme western 

 point reached was in approximate longitude 95° east, latitude 34° north, 

 and the extreme northern point was just above the 40th parallel. The 

 present volume, which is published independently, carries the narrative 

 forward to the shores of Charing Nor. It is the intention of the pub- 

 lishers to present the remainder of the narrative in a second distinct 

 work. The book is written in the form of a journal, through which is 

 scattered, amid the narrative of adventure, much information regarding 

 the geography of the country traversed and the habits and customs of 

 the people encountered. H. G. 



Alaska and the Klondike. By Angelo Heilprin. Svo, pp. 315, with 35 

 illustrations and 3 maps. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1899. 

 This is a narrative of adventure and observations made by the author 

 during a trip to Dawson via Lynn canal and the upper Yukon in the 

 summer of 1898. It is a bright, readable book, and is of value in por- 

 traying in vivid colors the life and social conditions in this unique mining 

 camp when in the heyday of its prosperity, as well as the life on the trail 

 and river. The illustrations are strikingly illustrative and are well re- 

 produced. H. G. 



The Empire of the South, its Resources, Industries, and Resorts. By Frank 

 Presbrey. 4to, pp. 181. Published by the Southern Railway Com- 

 pany. 1S99. 

 This book is an illustration of the highest art in advertising. The 

 dedication of the book reads as follows: " This volume is dedicated to 

 the people of the South by the Southern Railway Company, whose inter- 

 ests are identical with those of the states traversed by its lines." The 

 economic truth here uttered is the key-note of the book. It is a descrip- 



