BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 



Paleobotanical Literature. — The third volume of this preten- 

 tious bibliographic work has just been received from the press of Gustav 

 Fischer.^ It is a larger book than the two which have preceded it and 

 contains 570 closely printed pages, furnishing an additional example of 

 the marvellous scientific productions of German publishers at absurdly 

 low prices, which is in such striking contrast to publishing conditions 

 in this country. The book is divided into two parts. The first part 

 arranged by authors whose contributions are numbered chronolog- 

 ically commencing with number one for each author with their first 

 paper in 1908 or since. The second part, which comprises the major 

 portion of the volume, contains an account of the scope of each contribu- 

 tion listed in Part 1 ; a hst of all the geological horizons mentioned : all 

 the new genera and species proposed; a list of all species both living and 

 fossil with which comparisons have been made; all anatomical, morpholog- 

 ical and phylogenetic results — -the whole arranged alphabetically. The 

 work is done better than that of any comparable bibliographic under- 

 taking, either international or otherwise, that I have had occasion to 

 use and deserves to be in the hands of every working botanist and geolo- 

 gist. It should prove indispensable to all botanical students who have 

 any interest in keeping up with the rapidly increasing contributions 

 which paleobotany is making to botany. It is proposed to publish an 

 annual volume of this sort hereafter, but the undertaking, which is a 

 prodigious labor of love on the part of Dr. Jongmans, partially depends 

 on a reasonable subscription list. I understand that American individ- 

 uals and institutions have been particularly backward in their support. 

 It would seem to be far more scientific to give the modicum of support 

 necessary to insure the prompt publication of subsequent volumes of 

 this exceedingly valuable work, than to attempt to rectify a laissez 

 faire policy at some future time hy clumsy international cooperation 

 and subsidies. — Edward W. Berry. 



' Die Palaeobotanische Literatur, Dritter Band, Die Erscheinungen der Jahre 

 1910 und 1911 und Nachtrage fiir 1909. Herausgegeben von W. J. Jongmans, 

 Fischer, Jena, 1913. 



161 



THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 16, NO. 5, MAT, 1913 



