A Short History of the Greeks. By Evelyn S. Shuckburgh,
M.A. (Cambridge University Press. 4s. 6d.)-Series succeeds to series. This volume belongs to the "Cambridge Series for Training Schools and Colleges." We are not aware of any particular need for it. In some respects" The Student's Greece" (Dr. Smith, edited by G. W. Marindin), in others (especially for a simple reader) Botsford's "History of Greece," seem to us superior. Mr. Shuckburgh, however, is sure to do any task com- mitted to him in a satisfactory way, and we can easily believe that a student may learn much from re-reading the subject as it is put before him here. On p. 264, for instance, there is a good suggestion as to the causes which led to the trial and death of Socrates. Mr. Shuckburgh's theory is that the humiliations endured by Athens had brought shoat "the desire to return to some imaginary standard of simplicity of life and religious piety under which former generations had attained greatness," and that Socrates, who was of course misunderstood, really seemed to stand in the way. On the other hand, we do not see so much about the Achrean or Mycentean civilisation as we should have expected. It is in this direction that the most remarkable discoveries of recent years have been made. Minos of Crete is put "not later than 800 B.C." This is not a very happy conjecture in view of what we know of Crete.
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