Of the many books recently issued on Edinburgh Miss Flora
Grierson's Haunting Edinburgh (Lane, 20s.) holds a very high —perhaps even the highest—place. While she, dwells long and lovingly on the various romantic memories of Scotland's capital, she tempers her appreciation with a discerning criticism admirably expressed—a criticism specially directed against the light-hearted manner in which the Scot has torn down some of the finest bits of his town. The chapter on " Edinburgh ta-day," is simply first-rate, and how right is the patriotic Scotswoman in deploring the supplanting of the old seemly Scottish domestic architecture by old English shams and " bungaloid growths of the most miserable character." The text is explained by Miss Katharine Cameron's beautiful black and white drawings and illustrations in colour. De- lightful as these last are in themselves, are they not rather Mediterraneanly vivid even for Modern Athens, whose general aspect is on the whole east-windy and grey ? For the Scot this book will make a superb New Year's present, and for the English reader it will go very far towards helping him to understand the history and appreciate the beauty of the town.
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