29 MAY 1875, Page 24

Practical Guide to the Isle of Man. By Henry Irwin

Jenkinson. (Stanford.)—This book has been now for some time on our shelves, but we have delayed the notice of it till what seemed a convenient time. Every one can enjoy, in anticipation at least, the pleasure of a summer tour or change, but the enjoyment does not seem genuine unless the reality seems reasonably near. Mr. Jenkinson's "Practical Guide to the English Lake District" was pronounced by common consent to be the best work on the subject which had appeared. In the Isle of Man it does not find so many rivals to contend with, but it is equally excellent. Every possible item of information which the tourist or visitor can want is given. He can satisfy himself about all the details of the journey, the accommodation to be found, and the price to be paid, and then may turn to a very full and well-executed account of the history, antiquities, and scenery. After every spot, with its associations and natural features, has been described, there is a chapter giving instruction for a tour, always of an attractive kind when it can be taken, "a walk round the island by the sea-coast." A chapter on the mineralogy of the island, by Mr. Boyle M. Wright, jun. ; another on the geology, we presume by the author; and a third on the botany, by Mr. G. A. Holt, are added; and there is a brief sketch of the zoology. The progress of civilisation has left little peculiar here except the tailless cat.