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Book Review 
THE NATURAL HISTORY LIBRARY. Five volumes. Doubleday Anchor 
Books, Doubleday & Co., Garden City, N. Y. Published in cooperation 
with the American Museum of Natural History, 1962. The following 
five volumes were published recently and represent a continuation of the 
paperback series I reviewed in the Audubon Bulletin (1961, 120:18-19.) 
N15. THE LAND OF LITTLE RAIN, by Mary Austin. xv + 171 pp. 
Sketches by Boyd Smith. $0.95. Mary Austin was born in Carlinville, 
Illinois, in 1868. Her family moved to California, where she was greatly 
influenced by the land, especially the desert. In this volume she depicts 
the western slope of the Sierras, which slope off into a trench and then 
a thousand crumpled ranges and valleys. This is the Land of Little Rain. 
Its wildlife, terrain, seasons, and people have been brought to life by the 
author. Here is indeed a captivating work. 
N16. THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE, by Charles Darwin, edited by 
Leonard Engel. Illustrated. xxxi + 524 pp. $1.45. Here is one of the 
great classics of natural history, a key work in the evolution of modern 
thought. The text is from Darwin’s 1860 edition. This volume grew out 
of notebooks and a diary kept by Darwin through nearly five years of 
voyaging. As the ship worked around the world, data was gathered which 
resulted in Darwin’s greatest contributions: His celebrated theory of the 
formation of coral atolls and reefs, and his theory of evolution. 
N19. THE HEATHENS: PRIMITIVE MAN AND HIS RELIGIONS, 
by William Howells. xi + 302 pp. 8 plates. $1.45. Professor Howells 
is Chairman of the Harvard Department of “Sociology and Anthropology. 
Strange and exotic customs appear in the chapters of this book. Many of 
the bizarre magical practices are shown to be closely related to the 
exigencies of everyday life. It is evident that these customs contribute 
to the smooth running of each society and to the stability of its members. 
The author provides a great step in the understanding of other peoples. 
N23. THE HERITAGE OF THE BOUNTY. by Harry L. Shapiro. xvii + 
301 pp. 8 plates. $1.25. Dr. Shapiro’s major research has been in the 
fields of anthropology, including the study of race mixture and povvla- 
tion development. This volume is an interesting presentation of the 
author’s visit and researches on Pitcairn Island. A historical sketch of 
the mutiny on the Bounty leads the reader to a study of the mutineers and 
their Tahitian wives. The life and culture of these Anglo-Polynesian 
hybrids is aptly presented. 
N24. THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S AMERICA, edited by Farida A. 
Wiley. xxx + 409 pp. 8 plates. $1.45. In our day, with the urgent need 
for conservation of our natural resources, it is stimulating to review the 
interest, dedication, character, and accomplishments of one of the greatest 
of our early conservationists. Contained in this volume are numerous 
accounts of Roosevelt’s life on his ranches in the Bad Lands, his life 
in frontier areas, hunting experiences, South American adventures, and 
his outstanding defense of our natural heritage. Miss Wiley has blended 
these pages into an outstanding tribute to our twenty-sixth president. 
William E. Southern, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Northern Ill. University, DeKalb. 
