25 OCTOBER 1913, Page 25

Old Chinatown : a Book of Pictures. By Arnold Genthe.

With Text by Will Irwin. (Sidgwick and Jackson. 7s. 6d. net.)—The Old Chinatown of San Francisco was completely destroyed by the earthquake and fire of 1906; but we can imagine no better memorial to it than this collection of snap- shots, which are, indeed, among the best that we remember having seen. They successfully avoid the smudgy outlines of the modern "art" photograph, and are yet soft enough to preserve some of the atmosphere of reality. The work of reproduction has been excellently carried out, and the result is a most delightful volume.