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THE “Encyclopedie Scientifique” constitutes a comparatively new departure in French technical literature, and has for its scope the ultimate publication of some thousand volumes dealing with the various phases of pure and applied science. M. Jean Chautard's little book (1) is apparently one of the earliest of the series, and if it indeed sets the standard of future productions, this encyclopedia will undoubtedly prove of very great value. Well written, profusely illustrated with photographs, maps, plans, diagrams and sections, this particular volume covers a wide subject in a minimum of space. The major part is concerned with the geology of petroleum and a consideration of the petroliferous regions of the world. Other chapters deal with the nature of petroleum, natural gas and solid hydrocarbons, their origin, mode of occurrence, surface manifestations, exploration, and economic development. (1) Encyclopedie Scientifique: Bibliotheque de geologie et de mineralogie appliquees: Les Gisements de petrole. Par Jean Chautard. Pp. viii + viii + 330. (Paris: Gaston Doin, 1922.) 14 fr. (2) The Oil Encyclopedia. By Marcel Mitzakis. Pp. xvi + 551. (London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1922.) 21s. net. (3) The Economics of Petroleum. By Joseph E. Pogue. Pp. ix + 375. (New York: J. Wiley and Sons, Inc.; London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1921.) 33s. net.

Eddy Currents By J. Lammeraner and M. Stafl. English translation edited by G. A. Toombs. Pp. 233. (London: Iliffe Books, Ltd.; Prague: SNTL—Publishers of Technical Literature, 1966.) 37s. 6d. net.

THE published information on gas turbines is both voluminous and widely dispersed, a considerable part of the technical literature of Britain, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden and other countries having been devoted to this subject in recent years. The object of this latest of Mr. Judge‘s books appears to have been to collect together at least the most important of these articles and papers, and to offer explanations and comments. It is a pity that this worthy object should be marred by several fundamental errors in thermodynamics, such as the statement in Chapter 3 that the efficiency of the Carnot cycle ". . . can also readily be shown to be represented by the following relations : Modern Gas Turbines With Special Reference to Stationary, Aircraft, Locomotive and Marine Types and to the Supercharging of Internal Combustion Engines. By Arthur W. Judge. Pp. xi + 311 + 19 plates. (London : Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1947.) 28s. net.

(1)THE necessity for complete and accurate information about the mineral resources of the British Empire has repeatedly been emphasised in these columns and elsewhere. Even before the war this need had become evident, and it was felt to be a serious reflection upon British statisticians that the most trustworthy source of such information was to be found in an American publication. During the war, the gravity of this deficiency naturally became accentuated, and the formation of the Imperial Mineral Resources Bureau has been the result. This bureau has now been organised, and is entering seriously upon its labours, the result being made public in the form of a succession of pamphlets, each dealing with one particular mineral. Those hitherto issued relate to minerals of relatively minor importance., and include arsenic, felspar, chrome ore and chromium, fuller's earth and magnesite. The scheme of all these pamphlets is identical; they commence with a general description of the mineral discussed, its composition, uses, and chief sources of supply. The world's output of the mineral is then given, and this is followed by a detailed description of the occurrences in the United Kingdom and the rest of the British Empire, together with statistics of production, followed by similar information concerning foreign producers. References to technical literature on the subject are given in an appendix, and in some cases there is an additional note on some important application of the mineral; for instance, the pamphlet on magnesite Contains a note on the production of magnesium chloride and its use in the manufacture of Sorel cement. It should be added that the statistics and information relate in each case to the “war period,” 1913–1919. These publications thus form a continuation of those formerly issued by the Home Office, and known as part iv. of the Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines. It would probably have been more convenient for most users of these pamphlets if the statistics had been taken rather further back, and given, say, for the last ten years, and if decennial tables were included in all future annual issues. There is some information as to costs and prices, though not sufficient for those interested in the industries, but no doubt in future years these figures will be given in more detail; it is also stated that in future issues data concerning labour, safety, etc., will be included. (1) Imperial Mineral Resources Bureau. The Mineral Industry of the British Empire and Foreign Countries. War Period. Arsenic. Price 6d. net. Felspar. Price 6d. net. Chrome Ore and Chromium. Price 1s. net. Fuller's Earth. Price 6d. net. Magnesite. Price 1s. 3d. net. (London: H.M. Stationery Office.) (2) Tungsten Ores. By R. H. Rastall W. H. Wilcockson. (Imperial Institute: Monographs on Mineral Resources, with Special Reference to the British Empire.) Pp. ix + 81. (London: John Murray, 1920.) Price 3s. 6d. net.

AMONG the important suggestions made in the editorial in NATURE of November 25 is included the desirability of establishing a new organization which would, among other things, "establish a system of co-ordination among the various provincial libraries of the university and research types". Although it is stated that "the National Central Library is still functioning as a clearing-house for demands for books on loan", it is apparently not realized that this Library is already acting as the national centre for the inter-library lending of books and periodicals, not only between libraries of "the university and research types", but also between libraries of all types, among which must be included our larger public libraries, which frequently contain—and lend—scientific and technical books not available in any other library in the British Isles.

THE Alloys of Iron Monographs, arranged by the Engineering Foundation of the United States, constitute a valuable series. The alloys of iron and chromium have taken up two volumes; volume 1, by Kinzel and Crafts, dealt with those alloys containing less than 10 per cent of chromium, and now volume 2, by Kinzel and Franks, deals with those alloys containing more than 10 per cent of chromium. The volumes are claimed to be a review and summary of published information and available unpublished data. A careful study of both volumes shows that the work has been well done, and a service of the first order rendered to ferrous metallurgy. The scientific and technical literature covering this field is so extensive now that for those who have not grown up with the subject the systematic study and analysis of available data which the authors have achieved is most valuable. The Alloys of Iron and Chromium Vol. 2: High-Chromium Alloys. By A. B. Kinzel and Russell Franks. (Alloys of Iron Research: Monograph Series.) Pp. xv + 559. (New York and London: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1940.) 40s.

THIS book is designed to fill a gap in our technical literature, which up to now has yawned both deep and wide. It is written by chemists for their confre´res, but while the analyst and works chemist will appreciate every chapter, there are many others to whom it will prove valuable for guidance in empirical testing of their own special materials. This will be so in the examination of textiles, minerals and gems, paints and varnishes, paper and various cellulose derivatives, museum specimens, various foreign postage stamps, and numerous other objects which are dealt with in nineteen classes, to each of which a separate chapter is devoted. Fluorescence Analysis in Ultra-violet Light. By J. A. Radley Dr. Julius Grant. (Monographs on Applied Chemistry, Vol. 7.) Pp. xi + 219 + 14 plates. (London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1933.) 15s. net.

THE author of this book is the director of the lighting research laboratory of a large electrical firm in the United States and is well known as a prolific contributor to the technical literature of his subject. Much of the material in the present volume has appeared in various technical publications ; workers in the field of radiation and its applications will be glad to have the data collected together in a single volume. The scope of the book, the stated object of which is to deal with some major effects of radiant energy, is perhaps sufficiently indicated by the title. Applications of Germicidal, Erythemal and Infrared Energy By Dr. Matthew Luckiesh. Pp. ix + 463. (New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc.; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1946.) 30s. net.

ALTHOUGH admirable treatises on mining law for the guidance of lawyers have been written by Rogers, Walmesley, McSwinney, Bainbridge, Cockburn, and numerous foreign authors, the field has by no means been exhausted; and Mr. Alford's work forms a welcome addition to technical literature. Written with conspicuous literary skill by a mining engineer of wide experience, it gives a concise summary of the various codes of mining law of the British possessions throughout the world, with well considered remarks on their characteristics. The term mining law is taken by the author to mean the enactments that regulate the acquisition and tenure of mining rights. Mining regulations, which control the methods of working mines, receive merely incidental mention. In the case of Great Britain it is true, the Mines Regulation Acts are quoted at some length as models; but even in this case no reference is made to the Amendment Act of 1903 or to the numerous special statutes, of which fourteen are cited in Sir C. Le Neve Foster's “Ore and Stone Mining,” that affect miners and workers in open pits in this country. Indeed, Mr. Alford's chapter on the mining law of Great Britain is the least striking in the book. Mining in Great Britain is so largely a matter of contract between lord and lessee, and so largely concerned with non-metallic minerals, that there is little scope for the comparative treatment of the metal-mining rights and obligations that forms so interesting a feature of the chapters dealing with colonial laws. Mining Law of the British Empire. By Charles J. Alford. Pp. xii + 300. (London: Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1906.) Price 8s. 6d. net.

Lasers By Karel Patek. English translation edited by V. W. Rampton. Pp. 288. (London: Iliffe Books, Ltd.; Prague: SNTL—Publishers of Technical Literature, 1967.) 45s. net.

THE “Catalogue of Scientific Papers,” compiled and published by the Royal Society of London, was intended to serve as an index to the titles and dates of scientific papers contained in the Transactions of societies, journals, and other periodical works. This Catalogue is highly valuable to all technical inquirers, and it is a matter of deep regret that the International Conference, held, under the auspices of the Royal Society of London, has decided that the International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, which is to begin with 1900, is to relate to pure science only, applied science being strictly excluded. It is possibly too late to remedy the position, which is probably due to the absence of representatives of technical societies at the International Conference.

I HAVE read with interest the editorial in NATURE of November 25, 1939, concerning the need for a centre of documentation with the purpose of supplying original papers to scientific institutions and to libraries. Further aims of such a centre might be to prepare abstracts and translations, to set up complete documentation indexes and to take the role of a link between research institutes.

ABOUT eight months ago, a copy of B. A. Soule's “Library Guide for the Chemist” was ordered for the Chemistry Library here, but so far the book has not arrived, presumably on account of its being an American publication. Everyone knows that in present circumstances, transmission of books from overseas must often be less rapid than in peace-time ; could not some way be found, however, either to expedite transmission or to produce a limited edition of a useful work of this kind in Great Britain?

THE book is precisely described by its title. It is the result of a literature survey which Dr. Howitt undertook after his appointment as head of the Silk Section of the British Cotton Industry Research Association in 1936. At that time there was no systematic review of the widely scattered scientific and technological literature on silk, but Dr. Howitt has now made it possible to claim that the literature on silk is better documented than that relating to any other textile fibre. Starting with the cultivation of silk, he proceeds to discuss the properties of raw silk, sericin and fibroin. Then follow chapters on the preparation of nett silk yarns, degumming, weighting, dyeing, weaving, knitting and finishing. The book ends with a survey of testing methods and a brief reference to non-textile uses of silk. So thorough is Dr. Howitt‘s treatment of his subject—there are 528 references in the fifty-six pages devoted to the properties of fibroin—that reading would have been difficult if the information had not been so well co-ordinated. The author can be congratulated on his contribution to the newer scientific literature on textile materials and processes. Bibliography of the Technical Literature on Silk By Dr. F. O. Howitt. Pp. xxiv+248. (London: Hutchinson‘s Scientific and Technical Publications, 1947.) 21s. net.

I AM travelling in East Galicia, and have only just seen Mr. H. G. Wells's remarks on the needs of scientific workers in Russia (see NATURE of November 11, p. 352). Using Mr. Wells as a text and applying it to Russia's neighbour, I should like to enter a plea for the Polish Universities of Krakow, Lwow (Lemberg), and Warsaw, which stand in the greatest possible need of American, English, and French scientific and technical literature. From the middle of 1914 to 1918 such literature was unobtainable, and since 1918 the rate of exchange—to-day 1500 Polish marks to 1l.—has placed it beyond the possibility of purchase by the three impoverished universities. For some months the Friends' Relief Mission has been making an effort at home to arouse practical interest in the problem, and recently we received some volumes of NATURE. These I took to the librarian of Warsaw University, who showed me over the library. The new English books could have been counted on the fingers of the two hands, and in the periodical-room not a single English periodical was being received, and only two in French. Similar conditions obtain in Krakow and Lwow, capitals of West and East Galicia, and two of the most important intellectual centres in reunited Poland. WE believe that the Anglo-American University Library for Central Europe exists to supply the need to which Mr. Clayton refers. The address of the secretary is London School of Economics (University of London), Clare Market, W.C.2.—ED. NATURE.

IN his letter in NATURE of December 1, p. 794, Mr. J. F. Pownall suggests a system for standardising the publication of scientific and technical literature. He expressly states that he gives only the roughest idea of his system, but, even so, its very basis seems so unsound that further consideration would appear needless.

THE predominance of the English language in modern scientific and technical literature, of which the research workers and writers of reviews are well aware, was clearly demonstrated in an important report published by Unesco1 on different aspects of the language problem in science and technology. It would indeed be interesting to obtain similar information on published works in other fields of knowledge.

THE enormous amount of current scientific and technical literature is a matter of common remark. It goes to swell an ever-increasing accumulation, of which a large portion, comprising research data, observations, measurements of values, and so forth, remains of permanent value. The various published indexes serve to keep account of it, but the labour required to make a comprehensive review over any range of recorded fact is considerable, and will steadily increase as time goes on. With the view of alleviating such labour I have worked out in detail an organised publication system, as specified below in two parts.