26 MAY 1917, Page 17

The Evolution of Coinage. By George Macdonald. (Cambridge University Press.

la 3d. not.)—This new "Cambridge Manual" is a brilliant little essay on a large and fascinating subject, which begins in Western Asia long before the days of Croeaus, and in China as far back no 109-1 B.C. The coins of Syracuse, of 400 n.e., with the heads of Arethusa and Persephone and the racing chariot are among the earliest, and will probably always remain tho finest, productions of the anoneyer. Dr. Macdonald ranges through tho centuries and continents, dealing with State control, material's, forme, types, legends, dates, and marks of value, and leaves one with a desire to learn a great deal more about coins. Hie illus- trations are excellent,.