Whitaker's Almanack for 1996 (12 Warwick Lane, is. net) has
now, we see, attained its thirty-seventh year, a vigorous age, to which it is not unequal. Every issue has something in the way of improvement, some new approach to completeness. The only drawback is that limits of space compel the omission of special articles. Of these, however, we have an index. Some idea of the variety of information to be found in these is given when we say that this index contains nearly nine hundred titles. An interesting record is given in the supplement of "Wills Proved in 1904-5." Two hundred and sixty disposing of more than £100,000 are included. One of them, awful to relate, was the will of a clergyman. It may be pleaded, however, in extenuation that the total of his professional gains could not have amounted to £9,000, taking the seven years of his curacy at 4150 and the twenty-five years of his incumbency at £289, the gross value of his living.— With this may be mentioned Whitaker's Peerage (same publishers, 3s. 6d. net), with its abundance of information in a small compass. We notice an incisive paragraph about "claimant- baronets." Of course there is not any great harm in claims that have little foundation except in fancy ; but when the title is assumed as a cloak for financial transactions of a doubtful character the case is altered. Our ancestors would have dealt very sharply with such people.—Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Companionage (Dean and Son, 31s. 6d. net) boasts a very venerable antiquity, wanting but seven years to complete its second century ; Debrett also has something to say about psoudo-baronets, and, indeed, the matter is of unquestionable importance. All the information that can be desired is to be found in this volume, which rightly claims for itself first-hand authority.—The Royal Blue Book (Kelly's Directories, 5s.) is a directory of the "Upper Ten," or "Twenty," or "Thirty," as the case may be. If we are to reckon all the names in this list, we might even say "Forty." What- ever the numbers, the volume is one of acknowledged authority and usefulness.—Watford's County Families (Spottiswoode and Co., 50s.) is a book of which the putting together as we have taken occasion before to remark, must be a task of great difficulty. Who could summarily define the "County Families" in any one neighbourhood? Mistakes must, of course, be made; but IVa/ford's makes, it seems to us, as few as possible, and is as discreetly managed as a book of this kind could well be. —The Official Year-Book of Scientific and Learned Societies (C. Griffin and Co., 7s. 6d.) is "a record of the work done in Science, Literature, and Art during 1904-5." A large portion of the volume is occupied with the names of the officials, and a list of the transactions, of the various learned societies. The Royal Society naturally heads the list. (Here we might have a list of the members. The Royal Society is a corps d'elite, and might be specially treated.) —The "Daily Mail" Year-Book (1s. t3d. net) is a most useful publication of which we have spoken on previous occasions with praise which we now repeat. It is practically as handy a book for the current information that one wants as could be found.—The Clergy Directory (J. S. Phillips, 4s. 6d.) gives a great mass of information in a highly concentrated form.
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