BOOKS.
THIS WEEK'S BOOKS.
Tnz most interesting books appearing this week are, for the most part, of the more weighty kind. The eighth volume of the admirable Survey of London deals with the parish of St. Leonard, Shoreditch. It consists of an historical intro-
duction and notes by Sir James Bird, and a fine series of drawings, photographs and architectural descriptions by Mr. G. Topham Forrest. The book is beautifully produced and is extremely interesting both historically and artistically.
Another important publication is Professor Bury's History of the Later Roman Empire, in two volumes. The first volume covers the Gothic Conquest of Western Europe, and the second the age of Justinian. It is a transitional period of extraordinary interest, which, owing to the curious tradition which regulates the teaching of history to the young, is a closed chapter to the average man and woman.
Liverpool University continues its valuable contribution to archaeology by two new volumes in The Ancient World series—a History of Roman Religion, by Professor W. R. Halliday, and Egypt and the Old Testament, by Professor T. Eric Peet.
Mr. Alfred Marshall, whose Industry and Trade we reviewed at length at the time of its appearance, has a new book— Money, Credit and Commerce—which will interest economists.
There are two new volumes in the International Library of Psychology, Philosophy and Scientific Method, both by the late Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, F.R.S. Conflict and Dream was completed shortly before his death : Psychology and Politics consists of a series of essays and concludes with an article by Professor Elliot Smith on the ethnological speculations of Jung and Freud and an appreciation of Dr. Rivers's psychological work by Dr. Myers.
Attractive books of essays are The Handling of Words by the distinguished writer who is known as Vernon Lee and First Essays on Literature by Mr. Edward Shanks, the poet, whose book includes articles on Samuel Butler, Barbellion, Mr. Masefield, Mr. Belloc, Mr. Wells, Mr. de la Mare, and Mr. John Freeman. The Coming Renaissance is a series of essays by three bishops, three professors, the Rt. Hon. C. F. G. Masterman, Mrs. St. Loe Strachey, and others. Dean Inge provides the necessary astringent in an introduction.
Those who feel the need of an antidote to this strenuously intellectual fare may find it, in accordance with their taste, in one or other of the following. In Poems by Four Authors Messrs. J. R. Aekerley, A. Y. Campbell, E. L. Davison and
F. H. Kendon have followed the excellent plan of composing between them a single volume. "This volume," an intro- ductory note explains, "comprises four independent books of verse which the authors did not consider suitable for separate publication." If that is not enough, a more drastic antidote may be found in Mr. Gilbert Frankau's collection of short stories, Men, Maids and Mustard-Pot, and those who are almost past praying for may perhaps be galvanized back to a youthful and unsophisticated life by Mr. Edgar Rice Burroughs's At the Earth's Core, the wrapper of which alone is enough to shock us permanently out of intellec- tuality.
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