The condensed chemical dictionary

BOOK REVIEWS. "FILE CONDENSED CHEMICAL DICTIONARY, by The Editorial Staff of the Chemical Engineering Catalog. Third Edition, completely revised and enlarged under supervision of Thomas C. Gregory, Editor. 756 pages, I6 X 23 cms. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1942. Price $12.oo. The many users of the Condensed Chemical Dictionary will be interested to learn that the third edition has now been published. The general arrangement remains in the same handy fashion as the previous editions but over 6ooo new items have been added. They comprise chemicals, drugs, pharmaceuticals, chemical specialties, metals, minerals, clay products, petroleum products, essential oils, perfumery chemicals, leather processing agents, mothproofing agents, insecticides, fungicides, hydrogenated products, flavoring materials and others. There is also included Typical Specifications secured from manufacturers. They represent a description of the product as marketed and sold commercially. This book is just crammed full of useful, valuable information to all those engaged in chemical or related activities~-chemists and scientists as well as nontechnical people. It is a foremost reference work. R. H. OPPERMANN. COLLEGE PHYSlCS, by William T . McNiff. 657 pages, illustrations, 16 X 24 cms. New York, Fordham University Press, 1942. Price $4.00. Because textbooks on College Physics are numerous it m i g h t lead ~o the conclusion that the physics teacher has little difficulty in selecting just what he needs. On the contrary, the large number of texts available has enlarged the difficulty rather than minimized it. Almost every text is of a different shade, and many for a slightly different niche. Some are of the sugar-coated variety designed to make physics easy either by direct sacrifices of important material or insufficient rigorousness. T o the other extreme there is the straight-from-the-shoulder type, dry, accurate, boring, and little recognizing that the student is human. A conservative stand would not be midway between the two extremes, but would be partial toward the latter, yet retaining those things which stimulate interest. The book at hand falls into this class. This third edition combines into one volume the two volumes of each of the previous editions. The author clearly recognizes the necessity of teaching the coordination and interrelation of physics and mathematics and directly pursues this course. The first general division is into what is termed book one and book two. Book one covers mechanics, heat and sound. Under mechanics, at the outset, there is a change from the usual sequence. After treating on the properties of matter and physical units of measurement, the mechanics of fluids is taken up, gaining the advantage of an easier approach to the more difficult mathematical divisions of the subject matter. Following this there is the physiological and therapeutical effects of changes in air density. This provides an informative stimulus to further work which is carried through motion, force, acceleration 511