21 JUNE 1940, Page 22

Mediterranean Problems. By Gordon East. (Nelson. 2s. -6d.)

THE fact that this small volume includes in its 220 pages no fewer than 54 maps gives some indication of its character, and, it may be added, of its value. Mr. East is a Reader in Geography, and his starting-point is the natural characteristics of each country. But his book is packed with relevant military and political information as well, and no one interested in the strategy of the war now in progress in the Mediterranean should fail to study it. Its title admirably describes its subject, and that subject is treated with a knowledge, an- acuteness, and a concision which give it an importance much beyond what its modest size and price might suggest.