A few days ago I was rather startled by being
told by a man of very considerable scientific attainments, who is engaged . on an important and interesting political study, that he never reads a daily (or so far as I know a weekly) paper, depending for his knowledge of current events on the B.B.C. news bulletins and Keesing's Contemporary Archives. The former source is familiar to most people; the latter is not. Though I have relied on Keesing as an invaluable work of reference since its first appearance I had not realised, till I learned the fact last week, that that event took place as long as twenty-one years ago. It was, I believe, in the first instance of Dutch origin, but it is now well-established in this country. It consists of very competent summaries of world events, in the form of a con- tinuous record, extended every fortnight in instalments of uniform shape and size adapted to binding in a special cover. Important political speeches are often given in full, and a valuable featere is a note at the end of each entry showing the page of the last reference to the same subject. Keesing's is not particularly cheap (I don't know the exact price, and it is no part of my province to advertise this or any other publication) but for libraries, clubs and newspaper-offices it is indispensable. I was interested to find that one private subscriber at any rate found that, together with the B.B.C., it met all his needs.
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