62 BOOK
applications to the Dirac equation and fermion annihila-
tion and creation operators.
The t h i r d chapter (43 pages) expounds the theory of
group representations again m a i n l y by stating definitions
a n d theorems w i t h o u t proofs. A m o n g the m o r e unusual
worthwhile sections of this chapter is a short b u t good
discussion of inner and outer K r o n e c k e r products. As
examples the character tables of some groups of interest
in m a t h e m a t i c a l physics are discussed briefly. This
material is c o n t i n u e d in t h e fifth chapter (26 pages)
which deals m a i n l y w i t h the relations b e t w e e n t h e
representations of a group a n d its subgroups; p a r t of this
material is also p r e s e n t e d in t h e language of 'little groups'.
A section on projective representations is also included.
Chapter IV, by far the largest (114 pages), presents
applications in the fields of molecular vibrations, wave
guide theory, q u a n t u m mechanics, crystallography and
crystal dynamics. The illustrations are p r e s e n t e d in
a d e q u a t e detail. The chapter also includes a short discus-
sion of the three-dimensional rotation group and double
p o i n t groups. The applications are c o n t i n u e d in chapter
V I (22 pages) where the representations of space groups
and the connection with energy band t h e o r y is discussed.
Chapters V I I and V I I I (42 pages) give the theory of
s y m m e t r i c groups a n d its application to molecular, atomic
and nuclear structure. There is a brief m e n t i o n of crystal
field t h e o r y ; it is also shown to w h a t e x t e n t selection
rules are derivable b y group theoretic arguments.
One appendix gives the explicit form of the multi-
dimensional irreducible representations of several p o i n t
groups; a n o t h e r contains an excellent and rather exten-
sive survey of the Lorentz groups.
The book contains 213 n u m b e r e d references as well as
extensive bibliographies at the end of m o s t individual
chapters; t h e latter are, however, of only limited use-
fulness since no specific reference to t h e m is m a d e in t h e
text. This is a serious d r a w b a c k since a n y b o d y who would
like to k n o w where additional discussion, especially of
theory, can be found faces an almost insuperable task.
The t e r m i n o l o g y and n o t a t i o n is a d m i r a b l y clear,
t h o u g h on occasion a trifle over-elaborate. The index is
excellent.
I n spite of the title, a significant portion of the book
d e a l s - - q u i t e j u s t i f i a b l y - - w i t h infinite groups. I n view of
this, it would h a v e been helpful if the theoretical section
would p o i n t out clearly which theorems h a v e to be
a b a n d o n e d or at least modified w h e n the transition from
finite groups is made.
E. M. LOEBL
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn
Brooklyn 1, N . Y .
U.S.A.
Mineralogy. A n I n t r o d u c t i o n to t h e S t u d y of Mine-
rals a n d Crystals. B y E . H. K a n c s , W. F. HUNT
a n d L. S. I~A2cISDELL. Pp. 686, w i t h 736 figs. N e w
Y o r k , T o r o n t o , L o n d o n : M c G r a w - H i l l B o o k Co.,
Inc., 5 t h edition, 1959. Price 70s.
The previous edition of 'Mineralogy' appeared in 1951
a n d h a d 664 pages and 735 figures. The suitability of
this book as a t e x t b o o k for university courses in t h e
U . S . A . has been d e m o n s t r a t e d by its c o n t i n u a t i o n into
a fifth revised edition, a n d by evaluations of earlier
REVIEWS
editions by American reviewers: a reviewer in E n g l a n d
can a d d little of value in this context. However, a p a r t
from an expected emphasis on American mineral locali-
ties, the book can be equally suitable outside of its h o m e
c o u n t r y as a basis of an i n t r o d u c t o r y course with a bias
towards practical and economic aspects of mineralogy.
For the n e w c o m e r to mineralogy its wide perspective is
admirable: there are chapters on crystal morphology,
crystal optics, physical and chemical properties of min-
erals, crystal structure and X - r a y diffraction, chemical
crystallography, chemical analytical methods, gemstones,
rock a n d mineral formation; and, as its raison d'etre,
about two thirds of the book is d e v o t e d to the description
and tabular classification of minerals. W i t h as wide a
scope as this it is inevitable t h a t some aspects are t r e a t e d
only cursorily, b u t a bibliography leads to m o r e spe-
ciaHsed texts.
Readers of this journal will look with particular
interest at the crystallographic chapters and will perhaps
wonder w h e t h e r r e t e n t i o n of the Weiss symbols, in ad-
dition to the universally used Miller indices (e.g.
na:b:ooc and hlc0), is really w a r r a n t e d b y t h e claim
t h a t t h e y are easier for beginners. The chapter on optics
is r e m a r k a b l y good for such a condensed t r e a t m e n t , t h e
only i m p o r t a n t omission being a s t a t e m e n t or a graphical
representation of the sequence in the N e w t o n scale of
interference colours. The crystal structure and X - r a y
section gives a reasonable selection of the r e l e v a n t
concepts a n d m e t h o d s b u t in parts is a little too com-
pressed to be clear to a beginner. I n t h e m a i n p a r t of t h e
book the principal crystallographic, physical and chemical
features, the occurrence, associates, a n d industrial uses
of the m o s t c o m m o n minerals, are described. I n t h e
section on silicates, considerable use is m a d e of recent
structural knowledge and coverage of t h e different
minerals is well balanced except for chlorites and clay
minerals. Chemical variation a m o n g t h e chlorites is barely
m e n t i o n e d , and the clay minerals illite and montmorillo-
nite w a r r a n t b u t do n o t get, equal t r e a t m e n t w i t h
kaolinite. The c h a p t e r on gemstones is beautifully concise
a n d informative, and the d e t e r m i n a t i v e tables (167 pages)
are clearly set out.
The fifth edition is considerably revised. I n the intro-
d u c t o r y chapters two new sections are on crystal chem-
istry (in c h a p t e r 13) and on m a g m a t i c processes (in
chapter 14). More important, the descriptions a n d clas-
sification of minerals are revised in m a n y places by being
based on the m o s t recent editions of 'Dana's System of
Mineralogy' (1944, 1951), a n d Strunz's 'Mineralogische
Tabellen' (1957). I n the X - r a y section there are b e t t e r
illustrations of rotation and Weissenberg photographs.
Additional minerals and varieties m e n t i o n e d in this
edition are autunite, boehmite, borazon, Brazilian emer-
ald a n d indleolite, g u m m i t e , illite, p i e d m o n t i t e a n d wad.
Minor errors are practically non-existent, b u t s o m e t h i n g
has gone wrong w i t h the entries for nepheline (or nephe-
lite) in the index; the index is, however, m o r e compre-
hensive t h a n in the previous edition.
This book is well produced, and it is well w o r t h t h e
price to a n y o n e with a general interest in the E a r t h
Sciences. J. Zuss~L~v
Department of Geology
The University
Manchester, 13
England