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Concise encyclopedia of chemical technology
sources must be sought for discussion of social, economic, and political factors. Insofar as this book represents the state of knowledge circa 1983, the overall impression is one of considerable uncertainty and patchiness as one progresses from general principles to individual cases. An example given (p. 382) is of five different possible causes for peatland erosion in the Pennines. One of the main reasons for such states of affairs is the lack of comparative historical data. Another difficulty usefully pointed out (p. 281) is that long-term developments such as technical change, worldwide forest clearance. and spreading human settlements may over-shadow or intensify the effects of small policy-induced changes in local farming practices. K. J. Thomson
New Flame. By Hugh Barty-King. Pp. 262. Graphmitre, Tavistock. 1985. f 11.50.
The town gas industry has always been well served by printed and film histories - most recently by A Hisrory of the Bridsh Gas Industry (1981) by T. I. Williams. However, there is room for an up-to-date popular illustrated social history of Mr Therm’s piped gas and this is amply supplied by Hugh Barty-King in the present survey. The book begins with the familiar story of the patent lodged by the Earl of Dundonald in 1781 in which the ‘dangerous’ gas emitted when coal was burned to prepare coal tar as a wood preservative was carefully burnt off; and ends with Britain’s conversion from town gas to natural gas between 1967 and 1977. The discussion of the tension between ‘candles and calories’ provoked by the rise of electric lighting from the 1870s. and the ways gas changed the lives of those who lived and worked in Britain since the 1780s. are well done. Particularly good use is made of the industry’s own advertising materials. The bibliography, an essential feature of a popular account. is informative. though unfortunately printed as an apparently random, non-alphabetical list. W. H. Brock
William Whiston, Honest Newtonian. By James E. Force. Pp. 208. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f25.00 ($37.50).
Force’s study is an extension of his doctoral dissertation Whiston Conrroversies (1977). It is best recognised as a collaboration with Richard H. Popkin, Margaret C. Jacob, Richard S. Westfall. and other north Amcrican scholars in their examination of politic-
al and religious thought following the ‘Glorious Revolution of 1688’. Force focuses on evidence in Whiston of millennialism. examines his approach to biblical exegesis, his understanding of scripture prophecies and his attitude to divine providence. James Force does elucidate the real contribution made by Whiston and his Newtonianism ‘to the Whig-Tory, Low Church-High Church conflict.’ (page 100). His fascinating, carefully researched notes (44 pages) supplement the text already densely packed with analyses of the circles and situations of Whiston’s daily life. My suspicion is that some who have a legitimate interest in Whiston could read his work without finding a clear portrait. Force does not claim to have written the definitive biography of Whiston. There remains the opportunity to sketch the Whiston saga revealing the man. his works and quirks, and relegating to second place Whiston’s computer print-out as a Low-Church Newtonian. M. Farrell
Concise Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Edited by M. Grayson, D. Eckroth, E. Graber, A. Klingsberg and P. M. Siegel. Pp. 1318. Wiley, Chichester. 7985. f720 1$733.00)
For many years the Kirk-Ofhmer
EncyTechnology has been to applied chemists what Mellor has been to inorganic and physical and Beilsrein to oga-
clopedia
qf Chemical
nit chemists. Its claim to be the ‘bible of chemical technology’ is well founded. Its latest (third) edition. completed in 1984. runs to 26 volumes and some 15 million words distributed between I100 articles. It is, therefore. very much a reference book for large libraries. This abridged version. a mere two million words contained in just over 1300 large pages. is still costly but brings the work within the range of smaller libraries and even of some individual users. It is very comprehensive. the topics treated including not only strictly chemical ones but peripheral subjects such as information retrieval and trademarks - though these mainly in the US context. Every article concludes with several key references and, of course, additional information can be obtained by reference to the corresponding article in the main work. An index is provided for locating subjects not identified by the main headings in the text. It is difficult to evaluate books of this kind at short notice. for their defects and merits become fully apparent only after considerable use as a working reference tool. Never-
theless, random sampling indicates that the Editors’ effort ‘to provide a work that is has unsurpassed in quality and XCUmCy met with a considerable measure of success. It will undoubtedly fulfil its purpose of heing a valuable ready-reference guide to all those. students and professionals alike, with intersts in the field of chemical technology. Trebror I. Williams The Mediterranean was a Desert. A Voyage of the Glomar Challenger. By Kenneth J. Hsii. Pp. 197. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 1983. f 15.60.
The author was co-chief scientist on hoard an oceanographic research vessel involved in the Deep Sea Drillmg Project examining the geological evolution of the Mcditerranean Sea. The text report5 scientific discoveries and describes day-to-day activities at sea. hased upon diaries hept hy the author. Explanations of scientific concepts and research procedure arc included to provide the reader with suflicicnt hachground knowledge to understand the significance of the discoveries. Such passagrs. for example. describe equipment. the USCof microfossils to characterise sedimentary dcposits. and the plate tectonics theory. Early chapters in the book dcscrihc the drilling programme and conflicts hctwccn requests for oil exploration and the scientific investigation into the origin of ocean hil.\inb. Life on board the 11 o(H) ton vessel is described. including the frustrations ol equipment malfunctions. which will he only too familiar to scientists who have hccn involved with research cruises. Ohscrvations are made on core material collected. The recovery of a ‘marhlc-like’ deposit from a site to the south of the Hnlcarlc lslands provided the key to understanding the evolution of the Mcditerrancan Sea. Such deposits are formed from hrinc prccipitation in deep ocean hasins. or shallow waters. The identification of brackish and freshwater unicellular plants (diatoms) confirmed that the deposit was similar to those now accumulating on arid coastal Rats. such as those of the Arabian Gulf. Similar conditions once existed. therefore. in the Mediterranean Sea. The differing scicntilic backgrounds of the scientists on board the vcsscl provide an interesting and unusual framework for the discussion of theories relating to the origin of the sedimentary deposits. In conscquence. the text is sfimularing. well written and presented. and should hc of intcrcst to general readers.
209
New Flame. By Hugh Barty-King. Pp. 262. Graphmitre, Tavistock. 1985. f 11.50.
The town gas industry has always been well served by printed and film histories - most recently by A Hisrory of the Bridsh Gas Industry (1981) by T. I. Williams. However, there is room for an up-to-date popular illustrated social history of Mr Therm’s piped gas and this is amply supplied by Hugh Barty-King in the present survey. The book begins with the familiar story of the patent lodged by the Earl of Dundonald in 1781 in which the ‘dangerous’ gas emitted when coal was burned to prepare coal tar as a wood preservative was carefully burnt off; and ends with Britain’s conversion from town gas to natural gas between 1967 and 1977. The discussion of the tension between ‘candles and calories’ provoked by the rise of electric lighting from the 1870s. and the ways gas changed the lives of those who lived and worked in Britain since the 1780s. are well done. Particularly good use is made of the industry’s own advertising materials. The bibliography, an essential feature of a popular account. is informative. though unfortunately printed as an apparently random, non-alphabetical list. W. H. Brock
William Whiston, Honest Newtonian. By James E. Force. Pp. 208. Cambridge University Press. 1985. f25.00 ($37.50).
Force’s study is an extension of his doctoral dissertation Whiston Conrroversies (1977). It is best recognised as a collaboration with Richard H. Popkin, Margaret C. Jacob, Richard S. Westfall. and other north Amcrican scholars in their examination of politic-
al and religious thought following the ‘Glorious Revolution of 1688’. Force focuses on evidence in Whiston of millennialism. examines his approach to biblical exegesis, his understanding of scripture prophecies and his attitude to divine providence. James Force does elucidate the real contribution made by Whiston and his Newtonianism ‘to the Whig-Tory, Low Church-High Church conflict.’ (page 100). His fascinating, carefully researched notes (44 pages) supplement the text already densely packed with analyses of the circles and situations of Whiston’s daily life. My suspicion is that some who have a legitimate interest in Whiston could read his work without finding a clear portrait. Force does not claim to have written the definitive biography of Whiston. There remains the opportunity to sketch the Whiston saga revealing the man. his works and quirks, and relegating to second place Whiston’s computer print-out as a Low-Church Newtonian. M. Farrell
Concise Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Edited by M. Grayson, D. Eckroth, E. Graber, A. Klingsberg and P. M. Siegel. Pp. 1318. Wiley, Chichester. 7985. f720 1$733.00)
For many years the Kirk-Ofhmer
EncyTechnology has been to applied chemists what Mellor has been to inorganic and physical and Beilsrein to oga-
clopedia
qf Chemical
nit chemists. Its claim to be the ‘bible of chemical technology’ is well founded. Its latest (third) edition. completed in 1984. runs to 26 volumes and some 15 million words distributed between I100 articles. It is, therefore. very much a reference book for large libraries. This abridged version. a mere two million words contained in just over 1300 large pages. is still costly but brings the work within the range of smaller libraries and even of some individual users. It is very comprehensive. the topics treated including not only strictly chemical ones but peripheral subjects such as information retrieval and trademarks - though these mainly in the US context. Every article concludes with several key references and, of course, additional information can be obtained by reference to the corresponding article in the main work. An index is provided for locating subjects not identified by the main headings in the text. It is difficult to evaluate books of this kind at short notice. for their defects and merits become fully apparent only after considerable use as a working reference tool. Never-
theless, random sampling indicates that the Editors’ effort ‘to provide a work that is has unsurpassed in quality and XCUmCy met with a considerable measure of success. It will undoubtedly fulfil its purpose of heing a valuable ready-reference guide to all those. students and professionals alike, with intersts in the field of chemical technology. Trebror I. Williams The Mediterranean was a Desert. A Voyage of the Glomar Challenger. By Kenneth J. Hsii. Pp. 197. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 1983. f 15.60.
The author was co-chief scientist on hoard an oceanographic research vessel involved in the Deep Sea Drillmg Project examining the geological evolution of the Mcditerranean Sea. The text report5 scientific discoveries and describes day-to-day activities at sea. hased upon diaries hept hy the author. Explanations of scientific concepts and research procedure arc included to provide the reader with suflicicnt hachground knowledge to understand the significance of the discoveries. Such passagrs. for example. describe equipment. the USCof microfossils to characterise sedimentary dcposits. and the plate tectonics theory. Early chapters in the book dcscrihc the drilling programme and conflicts hctwccn requests for oil exploration and the scientific investigation into the origin of ocean hil.\inb. Life on board the 11 o(H) ton vessel is described. including the frustrations ol equipment malfunctions. which will he only too familiar to scientists who have hccn involved with research cruises. Ohscrvations are made on core material collected. The recovery of a ‘marhlc-like’ deposit from a site to the south of the Hnlcarlc lslands provided the key to understanding the evolution of the Mcditerrancan Sea. Such deposits are formed from hrinc prccipitation in deep ocean hasins. or shallow waters. The identification of brackish and freshwater unicellular plants (diatoms) confirmed that the deposit was similar to those now accumulating on arid coastal Rats. such as those of the Arabian Gulf. Similar conditions once existed. therefore. in the Mediterranean Sea. The differing scicntilic backgrounds of the scientists on board the vcsscl provide an interesting and unusual framework for the discussion of theories relating to the origin of the sedimentary deposits. In conscquence. the text is sfimularing. well written and presented. and should hc of intcrcst to general readers.
209