3 JUNE 1949, Page 30

The Story of Your Home. By Agnes Allen. (Faber. 7s.

6d.)

FROM a Britain of 500,000 years ago to a Britain of 2000 A.D., Mrs. Allen follows the development of the home—the home of all classes, peasants as well as lords. She writes for adolescents, but she has so much interesting to say that the adult, too, will be entertained and instructed. She has a vast range of knowledge ; she uses her own experience as well as history ; she is never for a moment dull, even when dealing with semi-technical subjects like the making of a door or the placing of a chimney. The book naturally concen- trates on the less terrifying aspects of the past, but, with most of the horrors left out, the daily life of children and adults, from the first animal-like men to the society of today, is vividly portrayed. This is altogether an excellent book, suitable not only for schools but for pleasure reading. The many line drawings, though undis- tinguished, are useful illustrations of the text.