Book Reviews

Principles of Cartography
(McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. 66s.)

Erwin Raisz
This is a text to accompany a course in cartography for American college

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students. The subject has become increasingly popular, and in three decades of
teaching it the author has aimed to evolve a curriculum which will maintain the
interest of the student by progression through a variety of studies and exercises.
The variety of material which can be included under the title of cartography is
undoubtedly an advantage to such an aim. Surveying, photogrammetry, statistical
diagrams and model globes are mentioned in the twenty-seven chapters of this
book, as well as the more obvious subjects like lettering styles, thematic maps
and map projections.
Within the compass of one moderate-sized volume it is clearly impossible for
these chapters to be more than reviews or guides for the benefit of students.
Nevertheless, they are full of useful and interesting information, and they are
pleasantly readable on their own merits. The book is well produced and copiously
illustrated.
J. E. JACKSON

Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Physics

(Editor-in-Chief J. Thewlis -- Pergamon Press - A106 the set)

Volumes 2 to 6 of this excellently produced work have now arrived for review.
Since the subject matter has reached “Stellar Luminosity”, it is probable that there
is only one volume to come, and this is awaited with interest, together with a
certain amount of pride at being able to display this fine collection as a whole.
One hopes, also, to have an index.
It must be a fearsome task to produce an encyclopaedia-especially in a subject
like physics, which today is moving fast. How difficult it must be to be up to date-
but take a look, say, at seismic prospecting. It is all there-modern reflection
techniques at sea, using “sparker” and “gas-gun”. Again, another new venture
of oceanographers-gravity at sea-is right up to date with a schematic diagram
of the Askania-Graf meter.
Geophysics seem to be most comprehensively covered. For instance, gravity
in general occupies 32 pages of about 900 words a page. The various articles may
have a slight overlap-as with “Gravimeter” (or gravity meter) and “Gravity,
measurement of, on land‘-but this is excellent for two reasons. It gives views
from different writers and it is far better than skimping the number of different
aspects of a subject. Also it is more fun to dig around a little when looking up a
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