524 The National Geographic Magazine 



now able to manufacture not only nearly 

 everything we want for ourselves, but 

 also an unlimited surplus which we are 

 desirous of selling at best profit to other 

 countries. The subject of commercial 

 geography, the wants of other people 

 and how they are supplied, now be- 

 comes to us very important, and as the 

 authors of this book state in their pre- 

 face: 



"As applied to our own country, this 

 study is especially stimulating ; for we 

 have advanced to the front rank in the 

 leading industries of agriculture, min- 

 ing, manufacturing, and transportation. 

 If this prosperity were due entirely to 

 the generosity with which nature has 

 showered her gifts upon us, no lesson 

 could be drawn from it ; but the history 

 of the past, and a comparative study of 

 the different countries in the present, 

 teach us that without man's earnest 

 and thoughtful cooperation the greatest 

 wealth of natural resources may co-exist 

 with the greatest stagnation in develop- 

 ment. If, therefore, in the face of the 

 competition that grows keener as the 

 years advance, we would maintain our 

 superior position, we must not grope 

 blindly, but must know the causes of 

 success and failure and act with the 

 clearest understanding." 



' ' Commercial Geography ' ' is de- 

 signed as a text-book in the high school 

 and academy, but it will doubtless prove 

 no less useful and just as interesting to 

 many of the grown-up generation, who 

 were offered no such course in their 

 school-days, and who have had to obtain 

 their knowledge of commercial geog- 

 raphy as best they could. It begins 

 with a study of the influence on indus- 

 trial progress of climate and topog- 

 raphy, of social conditions, of manu- 

 facturing and transportation facilities, 

 and of financial conditions, giving due 

 weight to each as a factor in economic 

 development. When this foundation is 

 laid the student is ready to consider with 

 a broader interest the chief commercial 

 products of the world, their relative im- 



portance in different regions, and the 

 modern processes of manufacture of the 

 staple articles consumed. Then, begin- 

 ning with the United States, he studies 

 in greater detail the actual conditions 

 existing in the principal countries of 

 the world and the forces that are oper- 

 ating to the continuance or change of 

 such conditions. The relations of the 

 various industries to one another and 

 their location in different parts of the 

 world are shown graphically by maps 

 and by percentage diagrams or tables, 

 while definite quantities are given in 

 tables at the end of the book. 



For world diagrams the authors have 

 generally used a map of the world on 

 Mollweide' s elliptic proj ection. On this 

 map every part of the globe appears in 

 equal proportion, with the result that 

 the geographical distribution of prod- 

 ucts is shown without being distorted 

 as we get away from the equator. An 

 excellent index is given. 



The Italian m America. By Eliot Lord, 

 John J. D. Trenor, and Samuel J. 

 Barrows. Illustrated. Pp. 268. 8 

 x 5^ inches. New York : B. F. 

 Buck & Co. 



What becomes of the hundreds of 

 thousands of immigrants into the United 

 States each year ? What w 7 ork do they 

 take up to support themselves in their 

 new country, and where do they go to ? 

 In 1904 we accepted 191,000 Italians, 

 and in 1905 221,000. How are they 

 prospering now? is a question which 

 many are constantly asking, but to 

 which we have had much difficulty in 

 finding the answer. "The Italian in 

 America ' ' attempts successfully to give 

 us this information, and we are glad to 

 learn that it is one of a series of volumes 

 to be published by Benj. F. Buck & Co. 

 treating of the principal nationalities 

 comprising our recent immigration. 

 The authors of the present work think 

 very highly of our Italians. They are 

 frugal, ambitious, and loyal citizens and 

 are important contributors to the ma- 



