- Email: [email protected]
Beyond the Moon
Polyketide Biosynthesis, by J. D. Bu’ Lock; Terpenoid Biosynthesis, by J. R. Hanson; Corotenoid Biosynthesis and Vitamin A. by G. Britton. Part 30 Biosynthesis-A General Survey: Alkaloid Biosynthesis, by R. B. Herbert; Porphyrin. Chlorophyll, and Corrin Biosynthesis, by M. Akhtar and P. h4. Jordan: Shikimic Acid Metabolites. by E. Haslam.
Reviewed with R. J. Parry. Aside from a slight organizational problem, i.e. all of Part 29 seemingly belongs under the heading of Part 30, these chapters are extremely well-written. The material is quite up-to-date through 1975, and the important aspectsof the field have been covered in a scholarly manner. In seeking perfection one can find only minor areas for improvement, i.e. Chart 2 on page 919 and Chart 4 on page 925, particularly the former, are difficult to interpret; in Scheme7, p. 1053,it is incorrectly implied that the mechanism of reduction of the pyridine ring of nicotinic acid has been established; the representation of the adduct of thiamine pyro-phosphate and aketoglutaric acid (in Schemes 16, 33 and 34, pp. 1184, I200 and 1201) as a naked carbonion (having acidic hydrogens) is not very satisfactory. and his Haslam conclusion, In collaborating coauthors are to be congratulated for producing such a magnificent segment of the Barton-ollis magnum opus which indeed representsa major contribution to scholars of organic chemistry. W. S. Johnson
Guide for the Pwplaxed Oganic Experimmtaliat by H. J. E. Loewenthal. Pp. ix+1 74. Heyden. London. 1978. Soft cover f4.80 ($9.60, DM 22.00).
This entertainingly written book lives up to its title. It is packed full with the kinds of information most often needed by the beginning research student and which normally take years to acquire. Even those with much experience will find many useful hints and techniques which they may not have met before or met them so long ago that they have forgotten them! The headings indicate the scope of the book: on searching the literature; on carrying out small-scale reactions (l-20 mmol. scale); on isolating and purifying the product; some basic safety rules; on catalytic hydrogenation; on keeping it clean; some detailed reaction examples; various hints and gadgets; on ordering, bottling, and storing chemicals; references; supply firms cited; index. The book is illustrated with 62 clearly drawn diagrams of apparatus. techniques of instrumental The spectroscopy and analysis receive little attention and the chapter on safety is limited to three pages since there are already many books on thesesubjects.The reviewer enthusiastically recommends this book to all organic experimentalists, and if the price seemsa little high remember that you are paying for the years of experience which the book embodies. J. F. McOmie
Organic Spectroscopy. An Introduction, 2nd edition by S. F. Dvke, A. J. Floyd, M. Sainsbury and R. S. Theobald. Pp. vii+290. Longman, London. 19 78. Paperback f4.25.
No undergraduate chemistry course is now complete without the inclusion of a substantial element of spectroscopy. This book, which arises from the development of a second-year course at Bath University, gives a concise introduction to the four main methods currently used to help in the elucidation of the structures of organic compounds, namely infrared, ultra-violet/visible, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Following a brief introduction four main chapters deal with each of the techniques individually. Worked examples, problems and very useful bibliographies are also included in each chapter. All four techniques are then brought together in a series of worked examples, and the book finisheswith a seriesof problems for the student to work out himself, (answersbeing provided). A new section on “C-n.m.r. spectroscopy and Fourier transform techniques is one of the main changes from the first edition, thus reflecting their increasing importance especially in structural and biosynthetic work. The use of double resonance techniques, Nuclear Overhauser effects, and shift reagents the n.m.r. chapter. Attention is also drawn to the developmentsof ‘soft’ ionisation techniques (chemical ionisation, field ionisation and field desorption) which are now increasingly being used to help in obtaining mass spectra of relatively involatile, or unstable, compounds. Antony H. Jackson
Principles of Organic Synthesis, 2nd edllon by R. 0. C. Norman. Pp. xxi+BOO. Chapman &Hall, London. 19 78. Paperback f9.95.
The ten years that have passed since the publication of the first edition of this book have witnessed the synthesis of an ever increasing number of more and more complex organic molecules. In order to appreciate and design such syntheses a thorough understanding of reaction mechanisms and a knowledge of the principles of synthesis are essential. Professor Norman’s book largely succeedsin providing this. It is divided into two parts. Part I, chemical chapters on comprising structure, thermodynamics, molecular and mechanism, kinetics, chemical stereochemistry, is almost unchanged. In Part II the underlying principles are applied to synthesis by considering the ways in which various types of bonds can be formed. Chapters 6 to 9 discussthe formation of C--C bonds by the use, respectively, of organometallic reagents, base- and acidcatalysed condensations, and by pericyclic reactions (completely redrafted). The subsequent chapters (10-20) are concerned with the formation of aliphatic C-N bonds, electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitution, aromatic diazonium salts,
molecular rearrangements,reagentscontaining P, S or B (new), photochemistry (now a separate chapter), free-radical reactions, oxidation, reduction, and the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. The final chapter discusses brielly the strategy of multi-stage syntheses and illustrates this with annotated syntheses of ten important natural products. Bach chapter ends with referencesto reviews (mainly Organic Reactions) and problems (but no answers). The book is strongly recommended. J. F. McOmie
Introduction to Induotrial Drying Procmoea by R. 8. Keey. Pp viii + 376. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 19 78. Hard cover f2.00; Flexicoverf7.50,
The author’s objective to provide a student text and an engineer’s guide ‘to the better design and operation of drying plant’ has been most effectively achieved. He covers the basic physics and thermodynamics in the first chapters including humidity, heat and mass balances, and the process of drying, based on model systems, and characteristic drying curves. He presents a full description of performances of the most common dryers, and ends with two chapters on continuous drying and batch drying. The useful appendices cover important parameters such as transport properties and sorption coefficients. Another commendable feature, with this unfamiliar technology, is the large number of worked examples of typical industrial problems, the solutions to which make use of the data provided in the many graphs and tables. These are almost essential in this complex subject, which requires sevenpages of notation, i.e. about 200 symbols. Though the coverage is wide there are bound to be important omissions-for example, the drying of ink layers in colour printing, or coatings on plastic sheet.Impinging hot-air jets are extensively used in these processes, but they, and heat recovery, only receive the briefest mention. This readable and informative guide can be commended to all those engaged in this increasingly important industrial activity. J. Black Beyond the Moon by Paolo Maffei, translatedby D. J. K. OConnell. Pp. x + 377. MIT Press, London. 1978. f8.75.
This book for the layman and amateur‘ astronomer has been very successful in Italy and is beginning to make an impression on the English-speaking market. It takes the form of an imaginary journey through the universe, starting at the Moon. In his mind’s eye, the reader is taken through the solar system and then progresses into the realm of stars and galaxies. The journey ends ‘at the limits of time and space’. Professor Maffei, who achieved prominence following his discovery of two nearby galaxies, has produced a very readable book which is both imaginative and authoritative. The text is ably translated by Fr. O’Connell, himself an astronomer of note. Our author has a freshness 87
of approach rarely found among present-day popularisers of astronomy. What he has to say is often thought-provoking, giving the reader new insight. It is unfortunate that the price is perhaps rather high for the popular market, especially since the illustrations are all in monochrome. Nevertheless, this is a book which I can recommend. It would make an ideal gilt for the budding amateur astronomer and be useful reading for the interested layman who wants a change from the many run-of-the-mill books currently on the market. F. R. Stephenson of the Twrodrlal
Planota
Zdenek Kopsl. Pp. xii + 224. Physics. Jan. 1979. f7.50.
The Rrlm
The Institute
by of
This excellent work of the great astronomical communicator, Professor 2. Kopal, deservesa better title. It deals with the Moon (60 pages), Mercury (11) Pluto (2 paragraphs) Mars (40 pages) the Asteroids (22) Venus (22) and the Earth (24) concluding with a good index. The collaboration of man and machine in the scientific exploration of the planets and the resulting new knowledge is a constant theme, illustrated in colour plates and over 50 monochrome illustrations. This work is even more interesting to read for the vast realms of no-knowledge still existing on the terrestrial planets. I should have welcomed a few paragraphs at least about the electronic miracles of amplifying the pictures which had travelled through hundreds of millions of kilometers to JPL’s Goldstone receiver and a few more diagrams might have helped. The book is admirably up-to-dateVenus Pioneers- and is not encumbered with lengthy footnotes or references. The author’s philosophy, completely shared by the reviewer, shines occasionally through the scientific text: The 1976 Viking findings of absenceof life on Mars should give us ‘an increased degree of cosmic importance and enhance our sense of responsibility to our terrestrial environment. . . We should therefore respect each other’s right for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness more than we have been doing of late.’ Altogether this book is highly recommended. A. R. Michaelis
Antibioticx
Edited by M. J. Weinstein and G. H. Wagman. Pp. 7 7 1. Elsevier, Amsterdam. f 978. $84.75 (Dfl. 195.00).
The editors of this book are members of the Schering-Plough Corporation. They have produced a volume which contains seventeen chapters shared among twenty-six authors involved in relevant research and a subject index which lists several hundred substances. The antibiotics are arranged in chemical families which are reviewed in alphabetical order, giving the book a curious discontinuity. Cephalosporins are separated from penicillins and new g-lactam antibiotics by the entirely deoxystreptamine-containing different aminoglycosids, griseofulvins, lincomycins, and macrolides, while a second group of containing aminoglycoside antibiotics,
streptamine, is preceded by peptides with dehydroamino acid residues, polyether antibiotics and siderochromes, and followed only by the tetracyclines. Except for the bacitracin peptides, most medically or biologically interesting antibiotic families are included and there are chapters on heterogeneous marine-derived and plantderived substances, some of which have only marginal antimicrobial activity. Although the emphasisis on methods of isolation, assay, and analysis of naturally occurring antibiotics, many chapters give brief accounts of the chemistry and biological properties of these substances and several describe the fruitful results of chemical modifications of the molecules concerned. The book is a rude mecum which brings together a great deal of information in a still expanding field. E. P. Abraham
Introductory
Dynamic
Oceanography
by Stephen Pond and George L. Pickard. Pp. xvi+24 1. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 1978. Hard cover f 15.00, Flexi cover f5.00.
This book succeedsin its aim of presenting a sound treatment of the essential aspects of dynamic oceanography starting from first principles. Only a limited mathematical background is assumedand all physical ideas are explained fully as they arise. The text is -based on the authors’ experience at the University of British Columbia in teaching mixed groups of studentsand this is reflectedin the clear verbal explanations which accompany many of the mathematical steps. The book starts with several short chapters describing the properties of sea water, basic physical laws, and the equations of continuity and motion. A chapter on currents without friction then deals with the theory of geostrophic flow and its practical application to the calculation of currents from temperature and salinity data. Another substantial chapter gives a good treatment of the wind-driven circulation, from the Ekman spiral to developments following Stommel’s demonstration of westward intensification and an outline of the boundary layer approach to circulation problems. A welcome feature is the inclusion of a chapter on numerical models. After reading this book the newcomer should have a sound basic understanding of dynamic oceanography and also be in a position to appreciate work being done at the frontiers of the subject. K. F. Bowden Ancient
Sedimentary
exclusively, and the other substantially, adopts the environmental approach to the study of sediments. By comparison this single-author volume clearly lacks the breadth of experience and the depth of treatment of the larger books. Nevertheless, it retains the conciseness and therefore the relative ihexpensiveness of the first edition. Referencelists have been brought up to date, although this is not always fully reflected in the text, and a very useful innovation is consideration, wherever possible, of subsurface methods of facies interpretation. This second edition should therefore continue to appeal to a wide audience at undergraduate and early professional level. It draws its many examples mainly from Europe, N. America and N. Africa, and is well illustrated with numerous line and some half-tone figures. In short, it remains a good brief handbook of the subject area defined by its tide.
Environmentx
R. C. Selley. Pp. xii+287. Chapman Andover. 19 78. Paper f4.95.
by 8 Hail,
This book is a concise introduction to sedimentary environments, emphasising ancient examples, and dealing with each environment in turn. When it first appeared in 1970 it was a very welcome addition to the literature of sedimentology. It so happens that the second edition has been published almost simultaneously with two much longer sedimentological treatises, one of which
B. M. Funnel1
Storage in Excavated Rock Rockstore 77: Proceedings International Symposium, Vol. 1.2, and 3. Edited by M. Pp. 832. f125.0~.
Pergamon
Press,
Caverns: of the First Stockholm. Bergman. Oxford. 1978.
The first international symposium on the useof underground space took place in Sweden in September 1977. These three volumes record the proceedingsof that symposium. Man has made use of underground space sinceprehistoric times, but in recent years there has been a great upsurge in interest. It started perhaps with the Suez crisis, which led the Governments of the industrialised nations of the West to hold strategic reserves of petroleum fuels. Impetus has come also from the continuing preoccupation with defenceand national security, and from concern for the environment. The symposium was organised under the auspices of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the international Association of Engineering Geology, the International Society for Rock Mechanics, and the International Tunnelling Association. The papers are by acknowledged experts in their field and cover, perhaps not very systematically or evenly, the subject from planning and design through to construction and operation. Volume 1 covers Sessions 1 and 2. The papers from Session 1 on the demand for subsurface storage put the subject in its historical context and then turn to more recent feasibility studies on the use of underground space. The papers from Session 2, on experience in the use of underground storage, provide real examples of how successfully the technique has beenapplied. Volume 2 covers Sessions3 and 4, and the papers become more technical. The third sessionsdeals with the geo-planning and design of storage caverns in rock and the fourth with the problems of interaction between the rock and the stored material. Volume 3 covers Sessions 5 and 6 and a special session. The papers from Session5 deal with the techniques of construction in rock, and those from Session 6 are a collection of case histories. The special
Reviewed with R. J. Parry. Aside from a slight organizational problem, i.e. all of Part 29 seemingly belongs under the heading of Part 30, these chapters are extremely well-written. The material is quite up-to-date through 1975, and the important aspectsof the field have been covered in a scholarly manner. In seeking perfection one can find only minor areas for improvement, i.e. Chart 2 on page 919 and Chart 4 on page 925, particularly the former, are difficult to interpret; in Scheme7, p. 1053,it is incorrectly implied that the mechanism of reduction of the pyridine ring of nicotinic acid has been established; the representation of the adduct of thiamine pyro-phosphate and aketoglutaric acid (in Schemes 16, 33 and 34, pp. 1184, I200 and 1201) as a naked carbonion (having acidic hydrogens) is not very satisfactory. and his Haslam conclusion, In collaborating coauthors are to be congratulated for producing such a magnificent segment of the Barton-ollis magnum opus which indeed representsa major contribution to scholars of organic chemistry. W. S. Johnson
Guide for the Pwplaxed Oganic Experimmtaliat by H. J. E. Loewenthal. Pp. ix+1 74. Heyden. London. 1978. Soft cover f4.80 ($9.60, DM 22.00).
This entertainingly written book lives up to its title. It is packed full with the kinds of information most often needed by the beginning research student and which normally take years to acquire. Even those with much experience will find many useful hints and techniques which they may not have met before or met them so long ago that they have forgotten them! The headings indicate the scope of the book: on searching the literature; on carrying out small-scale reactions (l-20 mmol. scale); on isolating and purifying the product; some basic safety rules; on catalytic hydrogenation; on keeping it clean; some detailed reaction examples; various hints and gadgets; on ordering, bottling, and storing chemicals; references; supply firms cited; index. The book is illustrated with 62 clearly drawn diagrams of apparatus. techniques of instrumental The spectroscopy and analysis receive little attention and the chapter on safety is limited to three pages since there are already many books on thesesubjects.The reviewer enthusiastically recommends this book to all organic experimentalists, and if the price seemsa little high remember that you are paying for the years of experience which the book embodies. J. F. McOmie
Organic Spectroscopy. An Introduction, 2nd edition by S. F. Dvke, A. J. Floyd, M. Sainsbury and R. S. Theobald. Pp. vii+290. Longman, London. 19 78. Paperback f4.25.
No undergraduate chemistry course is now complete without the inclusion of a substantial element of spectroscopy. This book, which arises from the development of a second-year course at Bath University, gives a concise introduction to the four main methods currently used to help in the elucidation of the structures of organic compounds, namely infrared, ultra-violet/visible, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Following a brief introduction four main chapters deal with each of the techniques individually. Worked examples, problems and very useful bibliographies are also included in each chapter. All four techniques are then brought together in a series of worked examples, and the book finisheswith a seriesof problems for the student to work out himself, (answersbeing provided). A new section on “C-n.m.r. spectroscopy and Fourier transform techniques is one of the main changes from the first edition, thus reflecting their increasing importance especially in structural and biosynthetic work. The use of double resonance techniques, Nuclear Overhauser effects, and shift reagents the n.m.r. chapter. Attention is also drawn to the developmentsof ‘soft’ ionisation techniques (chemical ionisation, field ionisation and field desorption) which are now increasingly being used to help in obtaining mass spectra of relatively involatile, or unstable, compounds. Antony H. Jackson
Principles of Organic Synthesis, 2nd edllon by R. 0. C. Norman. Pp. xxi+BOO. Chapman &Hall, London. 19 78. Paperback f9.95.
The ten years that have passed since the publication of the first edition of this book have witnessed the synthesis of an ever increasing number of more and more complex organic molecules. In order to appreciate and design such syntheses a thorough understanding of reaction mechanisms and a knowledge of the principles of synthesis are essential. Professor Norman’s book largely succeedsin providing this. It is divided into two parts. Part I, chemical chapters on comprising structure, thermodynamics, molecular and mechanism, kinetics, chemical stereochemistry, is almost unchanged. In Part II the underlying principles are applied to synthesis by considering the ways in which various types of bonds can be formed. Chapters 6 to 9 discussthe formation of C--C bonds by the use, respectively, of organometallic reagents, base- and acidcatalysed condensations, and by pericyclic reactions (completely redrafted). The subsequent chapters (10-20) are concerned with the formation of aliphatic C-N bonds, electrophilic and nucleophilic aromatic substitution, aromatic diazonium salts,
molecular rearrangements,reagentscontaining P, S or B (new), photochemistry (now a separate chapter), free-radical reactions, oxidation, reduction, and the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. The final chapter discusses brielly the strategy of multi-stage syntheses and illustrates this with annotated syntheses of ten important natural products. Bach chapter ends with referencesto reviews (mainly Organic Reactions) and problems (but no answers). The book is strongly recommended. J. F. McOmie
Introduction to Induotrial Drying Procmoea by R. 8. Keey. Pp viii + 376. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 19 78. Hard cover f2.00; Flexicoverf7.50,
The author’s objective to provide a student text and an engineer’s guide ‘to the better design and operation of drying plant’ has been most effectively achieved. He covers the basic physics and thermodynamics in the first chapters including humidity, heat and mass balances, and the process of drying, based on model systems, and characteristic drying curves. He presents a full description of performances of the most common dryers, and ends with two chapters on continuous drying and batch drying. The useful appendices cover important parameters such as transport properties and sorption coefficients. Another commendable feature, with this unfamiliar technology, is the large number of worked examples of typical industrial problems, the solutions to which make use of the data provided in the many graphs and tables. These are almost essential in this complex subject, which requires sevenpages of notation, i.e. about 200 symbols. Though the coverage is wide there are bound to be important omissions-for example, the drying of ink layers in colour printing, or coatings on plastic sheet.Impinging hot-air jets are extensively used in these processes, but they, and heat recovery, only receive the briefest mention. This readable and informative guide can be commended to all those engaged in this increasingly important industrial activity. J. Black Beyond the Moon by Paolo Maffei, translatedby D. J. K. OConnell. Pp. x + 377. MIT Press, London. 1978. f8.75.
This book for the layman and amateur‘ astronomer has been very successful in Italy and is beginning to make an impression on the English-speaking market. It takes the form of an imaginary journey through the universe, starting at the Moon. In his mind’s eye, the reader is taken through the solar system and then progresses into the realm of stars and galaxies. The journey ends ‘at the limits of time and space’. Professor Maffei, who achieved prominence following his discovery of two nearby galaxies, has produced a very readable book which is both imaginative and authoritative. The text is ably translated by Fr. O’Connell, himself an astronomer of note. Our author has a freshness 87
of approach rarely found among present-day popularisers of astronomy. What he has to say is often thought-provoking, giving the reader new insight. It is unfortunate that the price is perhaps rather high for the popular market, especially since the illustrations are all in monochrome. Nevertheless, this is a book which I can recommend. It would make an ideal gilt for the budding amateur astronomer and be useful reading for the interested layman who wants a change from the many run-of-the-mill books currently on the market. F. R. Stephenson of the Twrodrlal
Planota
Zdenek Kopsl. Pp. xii + 224. Physics. Jan. 1979. f7.50.
The Rrlm
The Institute
by of
This excellent work of the great astronomical communicator, Professor 2. Kopal, deservesa better title. It deals with the Moon (60 pages), Mercury (11) Pluto (2 paragraphs) Mars (40 pages) the Asteroids (22) Venus (22) and the Earth (24) concluding with a good index. The collaboration of man and machine in the scientific exploration of the planets and the resulting new knowledge is a constant theme, illustrated in colour plates and over 50 monochrome illustrations. This work is even more interesting to read for the vast realms of no-knowledge still existing on the terrestrial planets. I should have welcomed a few paragraphs at least about the electronic miracles of amplifying the pictures which had travelled through hundreds of millions of kilometers to JPL’s Goldstone receiver and a few more diagrams might have helped. The book is admirably up-to-dateVenus Pioneers- and is not encumbered with lengthy footnotes or references. The author’s philosophy, completely shared by the reviewer, shines occasionally through the scientific text: The 1976 Viking findings of absenceof life on Mars should give us ‘an increased degree of cosmic importance and enhance our sense of responsibility to our terrestrial environment. . . We should therefore respect each other’s right for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness more than we have been doing of late.’ Altogether this book is highly recommended. A. R. Michaelis
Antibioticx
Edited by M. J. Weinstein and G. H. Wagman. Pp. 7 7 1. Elsevier, Amsterdam. f 978. $84.75 (Dfl. 195.00).
The editors of this book are members of the Schering-Plough Corporation. They have produced a volume which contains seventeen chapters shared among twenty-six authors involved in relevant research and a subject index which lists several hundred substances. The antibiotics are arranged in chemical families which are reviewed in alphabetical order, giving the book a curious discontinuity. Cephalosporins are separated from penicillins and new g-lactam antibiotics by the entirely deoxystreptamine-containing different aminoglycosids, griseofulvins, lincomycins, and macrolides, while a second group of containing aminoglycoside antibiotics,
streptamine, is preceded by peptides with dehydroamino acid residues, polyether antibiotics and siderochromes, and followed only by the tetracyclines. Except for the bacitracin peptides, most medically or biologically interesting antibiotic families are included and there are chapters on heterogeneous marine-derived and plantderived substances, some of which have only marginal antimicrobial activity. Although the emphasisis on methods of isolation, assay, and analysis of naturally occurring antibiotics, many chapters give brief accounts of the chemistry and biological properties of these substances and several describe the fruitful results of chemical modifications of the molecules concerned. The book is a rude mecum which brings together a great deal of information in a still expanding field. E. P. Abraham
Introductory
Dynamic
Oceanography
by Stephen Pond and George L. Pickard. Pp. xvi+24 1. Pergamon Press, Oxford. 1978. Hard cover f 15.00, Flexi cover f5.00.
This book succeedsin its aim of presenting a sound treatment of the essential aspects of dynamic oceanography starting from first principles. Only a limited mathematical background is assumedand all physical ideas are explained fully as they arise. The text is -based on the authors’ experience at the University of British Columbia in teaching mixed groups of studentsand this is reflectedin the clear verbal explanations which accompany many of the mathematical steps. The book starts with several short chapters describing the properties of sea water, basic physical laws, and the equations of continuity and motion. A chapter on currents without friction then deals with the theory of geostrophic flow and its practical application to the calculation of currents from temperature and salinity data. Another substantial chapter gives a good treatment of the wind-driven circulation, from the Ekman spiral to developments following Stommel’s demonstration of westward intensification and an outline of the boundary layer approach to circulation problems. A welcome feature is the inclusion of a chapter on numerical models. After reading this book the newcomer should have a sound basic understanding of dynamic oceanography and also be in a position to appreciate work being done at the frontiers of the subject. K. F. Bowden Ancient
Sedimentary
exclusively, and the other substantially, adopts the environmental approach to the study of sediments. By comparison this single-author volume clearly lacks the breadth of experience and the depth of treatment of the larger books. Nevertheless, it retains the conciseness and therefore the relative ihexpensiveness of the first edition. Referencelists have been brought up to date, although this is not always fully reflected in the text, and a very useful innovation is consideration, wherever possible, of subsurface methods of facies interpretation. This second edition should therefore continue to appeal to a wide audience at undergraduate and early professional level. It draws its many examples mainly from Europe, N. America and N. Africa, and is well illustrated with numerous line and some half-tone figures. In short, it remains a good brief handbook of the subject area defined by its tide.
Environmentx
R. C. Selley. Pp. xii+287. Chapman Andover. 19 78. Paper f4.95.
by 8 Hail,
This book is a concise introduction to sedimentary environments, emphasising ancient examples, and dealing with each environment in turn. When it first appeared in 1970 it was a very welcome addition to the literature of sedimentology. It so happens that the second edition has been published almost simultaneously with two much longer sedimentological treatises, one of which
B. M. Funnel1
Storage in Excavated Rock Rockstore 77: Proceedings International Symposium, Vol. 1.2, and 3. Edited by M. Pp. 832. f125.0~.
Pergamon
Press,
Caverns: of the First Stockholm. Bergman. Oxford. 1978.
The first international symposium on the useof underground space took place in Sweden in September 1977. These three volumes record the proceedingsof that symposium. Man has made use of underground space sinceprehistoric times, but in recent years there has been a great upsurge in interest. It started perhaps with the Suez crisis, which led the Governments of the industrialised nations of the West to hold strategic reserves of petroleum fuels. Impetus has come also from the continuing preoccupation with defenceand national security, and from concern for the environment. The symposium was organised under the auspices of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the international Association of Engineering Geology, the International Society for Rock Mechanics, and the International Tunnelling Association. The papers are by acknowledged experts in their field and cover, perhaps not very systematically or evenly, the subject from planning and design through to construction and operation. Volume 1 covers Sessions 1 and 2. The papers from Session 1 on the demand for subsurface storage put the subject in its historical context and then turn to more recent feasibility studies on the use of underground space. The papers from Session 2, on experience in the use of underground storage, provide real examples of how successfully the technique has beenapplied. Volume 2 covers Sessions3 and 4, and the papers become more technical. The third sessionsdeals with the geo-planning and design of storage caverns in rock and the fourth with the problems of interaction between the rock and the stored material. Volume 3 covers Sessions 5 and 6 and a special session. The papers from Session5 deal with the techniques of construction in rock, and those from Session 6 are a collection of case histories. The special