Review of liecent Geological Literature. 269 
variety of ore, the extent of its development, and the value of its prod- 
uct. This portion of the book is in the main a compilation and syn- 
opsis of the scattered memoirs and articles which have appeared in 
the various scientific journals, and in the publications of geological 
surveys and engineering societies. The literature of our mineral re- 
sources is so widely scattered as to be inaccessible to any but a student 
who has abundance of time and a library specially devoted to such 
subjects, at his disposal. Herein lies one great value of a work of this 
sort. It brings together the reliable accounts from all sources, and 
presents them in a condensed and systematic treatise. It is a task re- 
quiring mature experience, technical as well as practical knowledge, 
and fine discrimination ; and the labor involved is immense. That this 
work has been faithfully done by Prof. Kemp is attested by the unusu- 
ally full and accurate bibliographical notes, which to the student are 
invaluable, and by a study of the text. 
We cannot help wishing that our author had allowed himself more 
latitude. His accounts are rather brief. The ore deposits of this vast 
country cannot be described in 200 pages. Twice that space could have 
been devoted to their description at no expense either of lucidity or in- 
terest, and the usefulness of the work thereby enhanced. In some in- 
stances the statistical and historical portions are not up to date. 
Statements of the total production of ore from a district in which the 
output of the last two years is omitted are not complete nor satisfactory, 
particularly in regions where there has been great development during 
those two years. There would appear to be some reason for these 
omissions in the delay which attends the publication of the reports by 
the United States Geological Survey on the Mineral Resources of the 
United States, were it not for the fact that quite accurate and full sta- 
tistics are given in such works as " The Mineral Industry," and in the 
various trade journals saon after the close of each calendar year. 
The publishers have done their part well. The illustrations are 
clear and type good. It may, however, be considered questionable 
whether it is entirely fair to the purchaser or good taste in the pub- 
lisher to insert 20 pages of advertisements in any standard publica- 
tion. It is a damage to the book and to the library that contains it, 
and smacks of cheap methods and trade trickery. 
These defects, if such they be, are but minor points in a work which 
marks an epoch in this age of marvelous progress in all that pertains 
to industrial development. We have long felt the need of such a vol- 
ume as this, and are sure it will find an honored place in many a library. 
Appreciating the wide range of the subjects embraced and the impossi- 
bility of any individual acquiring a personal knowledge of it all, we 
feel that Prof. Kemp has rendered to economic geology and to mine 
owners and operators a service which places him in the front rank with 
such authorities as Von Cotta, Whitney and Phillips. H. V. W. 
