25 FEBRUARY 1888, Page 27

Bosworth's Clerical Guide, 1888. (Hamilton and Adams.)—This work continues its

course of improvement. Last year we noticed some topographical additions which made it more practically valuable as a directory. Now we have some information about Universities, Colleges, and Schools ; a list of Army, Navy, and Volun- teer Chaplains is added, as also of Chaplains to Prisons, Work- houses, Hospitals, Lunatic Asylums, Reformatories, Orphan Asylums, Cemeteries, &c. We observe omissions in the list of foreign chap- laincies. Neither St. Maio nor its neighbour, Dinard, are given. We see that the name of the doyen of the English Church is still on the list. He has held the same living serenty-five years ! But the "List of the Clergy" is not absolutely correct. "John Hymers of Brandes- burton " appears in it. Surely enough has been said of Mr. Hymera's will to call attention to his death.—Thom's Official Directory of the United Kingdom (Alex. Thom and Co.) appears for the " forty-fifth " time. It has an Irish specialty, giving lists of the Irish Magistracy, a Dublin city and county directory, Irish medical directory, &c. Otherwise it supplies the usual information which such volumes give, more than many, and is, indeed, a very useful book of referenee.."--The Australian Handbook, 1888 (Gordon, London, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane), contains ample historical, geo- graphical, statistical, and personal information about the Australasian Colonies. Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji, and New Guinea, are included in its scope.—The Electrician's Directory and Handbook (George Tucker) has reached its sixth year of publication. One of its specialties is a "Biographical Section," in which short memoirs of leading men of science, engineers, &a., are given, illustrated with portraits.—Hazell's Annual Cyclopxclia, edited by E. D. Price (Hazell, Watson, and Piney), is best described by its own sub-title,- "Above 3,000 concise and explanatory articles on every topic of current political, social, biographical, and general interest referred to by the Press and in daily conversation." It is quite im- possible to analyse, much less to criticise, the contents of such a volume. Here are the headings of a page taken at random : —" Ho)), Frank" (memoir), "Holland (see Netherlands ')," "Holmes, 0. W." (memoir), " Holmgren's Coloured Wools (see Colour-Blindness ')," "Holy Alliance" (historical amount), "Holy- head Harbour Improvement" (proposed works), "Holy Thursday," "Home Arts Association" (account of Society and its objects), 4' Home Office" (description of its functions). As far as we have been able to examine the contents, they seem complete and correct. —The London Diocese Book (Griffith, Farran, and Co.), besides giving a Church calendar and some leading facts about bishoprics, Convocation, &o., furnishes special information about the diocese of London.—Dod's Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage (Whittaker and Co.), has attained to its "forty-eighth year." There is no more convenient book of its kind.