13 OCTOBER 1928, Page 21

An enormous amount of knowledge, linguistic, archaic, and

comparative, has gone to the composition of The Pentateuch : A Historical Record, by the Rev. W. T. Piker (Marshall, 31s. 6d.). Its aim is the conservative one of establishing the historical accuracy of the events as detailed in Genesis from Abraham to the Exodus. There is a great deal of useful know- ledge to be gleaned from its crowded pages, but the book is frankly argumentative for the older-fashioned interpretations and will appeal chiefly to those who are content to abide by them.

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("More Books of the Week" and "General Knowledge Competition" will be found on pages 501 and 502.)