27 JUNE 1914, Page 13

Desert and Water Gardens of the Red Sea. By Cyril

Crossland. (Cambridge University Press. 10s. 6d. net.)— This fascinating book deals with one of the least-known coast- lines in the world—the western shore of the Red Sea between 180 N. and 22° N., with Suakin and the new town of Port Sudan in the centre of it. Mr. Crossland has made a thorough biological and ethnographical examination of this sparsely peopled and unproductive district. Whether he writes of the habits of the nomadic population or of the exquisite "water gardens" of the coral reefs, his book is creditable to his powers of observation and literary skill.