The Magistrate's Annual Practice, 1898. By Charles Milner Atkin- son.
(Stevens and Sons, and Sweet and Maxwell. 18s.)—This is the third annual issue of a book intended to give Magistrates, by which term is meant generally Justices of the Peace (though other Courts of Summary Jurisdiction may come within its scope), a definite notion of what they can do and how they ought to do it. The body of the work, of course, remains unchanged, but current legislation brings about changes and additions which have to be noticed. The advice of the Magistrate's clerk is not rendered less necessary by this book. In fact, it is largely addressed to this official. Under the head of "Picketing," for instance, the inquirer is directed to certain cases, which would probably leave the layman as much in doubt as ever. Of course " picketing " is a very difficult matter.
The second issue of the Literary Year-Book (George Allen) appears under the editorship of Mr. Jacob Jacobs. It contains, besides a variety of useful information, essays on the literature of the year, and some "Appreciations of Writers of 1897." There are various directories, as of authors, publishers, booksellers, &c. Mr. Jacobs has not been quite as careful as he might in some matters. He gives a list of "Works Out of Copyright in 1898," a list, by the way, that might have been spared altogether. But when he includes Froude's "History of England," he is surely mailing a mistake. Mr. Fronde has not been dead seven years (a provision which he himself has stated). It is still worse to include Miss Charlotte Yonge's "Daisy Chain," because Miss Yonge is, happily for us, still alive.
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