Book Reviews 



"Guide Book of the The traveler in the Western part of the 



Western United States"* United States may behold from the car 



window monuments far more ancient and 

 often more picturesque than the ruins of antiquity that are to be found 

 in Europe. The mesas of Arizona and the weird rock formations of Wy- 

 oming and Utah have histories as full of stirring episodes as many a 

 Rhenish castle or Grecian citadel. It takes no special knowledge to un- 

 derstand the great geological drama that has been enacted throughout 

 our broad land; all that is needed is a sort of geological Baedeker to 

 point the way. Realizing the possibilities of such a guide, the United 

 States Department of the Interior, through the Geological Survey, has 

 begun the publication of just such a series. Four volumes have been is- 

 sued during the past year, and it is to be hoped that more are to follow, 

 so that in the future they may be as conspicuous on the railroad trains 

 of every line as the little red books are in Europe. 



The plan of the series, as stated by the Director of the Geological 

 Survey, George Otis Smith, is "to present authoritative information that 

 may enable the reader to realize adequately the scenic and material re- 

 sources of the region he is traversing, to comprehend correctly the basis 

 of its development, and, above all, to appreciate keenly the real value of 

 the country he looks upon, not as so many square miles of territory rep- 

 resented on the map in a railroad folder by meaningless spaces, but 

 rather as land — real estate, if you please — varying widely in present ap- 

 pearance because differing largely in its history, and characterized by 

 even greater variation in values because possessing diversified natural 

 resources." 



Of the four volumes issued three trace the transcontinental lines of 

 the Northern Pacific, the Santa Fe, and the Overland routes , the fourth 

 deals with the Shasta Route and Coast Line. The text is indexed by the 

 railroad stations and is supplemented by well-chosen illustrations and by 

 admirable maps. These maps are one of the chief advantages of the 

 books. They show the principal features of the landscape for several 

 miles on either side of the route by means of contour lines at intervals 

 of 200 feet. Those who have used similar contour maps on outings in the 

 high mountains may take particular pleasure in checking off the thin 

 brown lines, enjoying at the same time the comfortable upholstery of the 

 Pullman, 



We have only one regret to express in connection with these books, 

 and that is that they are not easy to find when wanted in a hurry. At 

 present the books are obtainable only by writing to the Superintendent of 



* Guide Book of the Western United States. Department of the Interior. United 

 States Geological Survey, George Otis Smith, Director. Price, $1.00 per copy. $4.00 

 per set. 



Part A. The Northern Pacific Route, with a side trip to Yellowstone Park. By 

 Marius Campbell and others. Bulletin 611, 1915. 



Part B. The Overland Route, with a side trip to Yellowstone Park. By Willis 

 T. Lee, Ralph W. Stone, Hoyt S. Gale and others Bulletin 612, 1915. 



Part C. The Santa Fe Route, with a side trip to the Grand Canon of the Color- 

 ado. By N. H. Darton and others. Bulletin 613, 1915. 



Part D. The Shasta Route and Coast Line. By T. S. Diller and others. Bulle- 

 tin 614, 1915. 



