The publishers deserve congratulation for bringing out a popular volume
on archaeology at such a low price as six shillings. Two hundred and forty pages of letterpress and a large number of illustrations are good measure indeed. The Romance of Archaeology, by W. H. Boulton (Sampson Low, 6s.), is a good popular account of some of the more interesting incidents in archaeology. Simple explanations of the cultural background, such as- the Egyptian beliefs concerning -spirits and souls,-give vitality to -the dry bones of the subject, and lend reality to the contention that archaeology hides the gap between yesterday and to-day. There is some • disproportion in treatment, due probably to the vagaries of popular interest. Egypt, for example, occupies a hundred pages, while the Hittites receive only six, and (most surprising of all) Ur eight pages only. Troy, Crete, Pompeii, and Herculaneum all receive perfunctory treatment, but we miss any reference to the remarkable cultures and discoveries of Central America.
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