16 JANUARY 1915, Page 24

BOOKS OF REFERENCE. —The third annual issue of The Year-Book of

Social Progress (T. Nelson and Sons, 5a. net) covers the period between the appearance of the previous volume, September 80th, 1218, and the outbreak of the great war—which has temporarily diverted the activities here described to purposes of more immediate necessity. This useful volume is a summary of recent legislation, official reports, and voluntary effort with regard to the welfare of the people. It is carefully compiled and full of valuable informa- tion.—The Co-operative Wholesale Societies' Annual, 1915 (1 Balloon Street, Manchester) contain, the usual array of facts about the Co-operative movement, and some articles of wider interest, amongst which we may mention that by Mr. L. G. Chiozza Money on " Oar National Wealth : the Con- ditions of its Continuance," whioll is curious reading at the present moment.—The Literary Year-Book, edited by Basil Stewart (Heath, Cranton, and Ouseley, 6s. net), provides a full directory of British authors and illustrators, with brief bio- graphical details. There are also useful lists of periodicals and publishers in English-speaking countries, of libraries, literary agents, typists, and translators, clubs and societies, together with articles on literary events and legislation of the past year. —Waling's Press Guide (James Willing, Is.) contains a list of all British newspapers and periodicals, with the more important ones in the Colonies and the United States.—The Advertiser', A B C (T. B. Browne, 10s. 6d. net) in, as usual, full of valuable information for advertisers. We are pleased to note the editor's assurance that those advertisers who did not suspend their operations on the outbreak of war "reaped a rich reward, obtaining the double advantage of the war circulations and of almost unexampled special positions."—The activities of the Legislature during the earlier part of 1914 were so considerable as to involve extensive and far-reaching changes in the text of The Magistrate's General Practice for 1915, edited by Charles Milner Atkinson, the Leeds Stipendiary Magis- trate (Stevens and Sons, 20s.). The work is, of course, indispensable to a self-respecting Justice of the Peace.—We have also received The Catholic Directory, 1915 (Burns and Oates, la. 6d. net); The Scottish Church and University Almanac, 1915 (Macniven and Wallace, la. net); and 77‘e Livingstone College Year Book, 1915 (Layton, E., dd.), with some interest- ing letters from . missionaries who were trained in that respectable institution.