Chapter I: Preface

With this annual cumulation the BOOK REVIEW DIGEST completes its fourth year. The volume includes principally the books of 1908 that have been reviewed by expert book critics in America and England. It aims first to record with unprejudiced exactness the scope, character and subject content of books as they appear; and further, to supplement this descriptive information from month to month with excerpts culled from the current reviews appearing in fifty-one American and English magazines that give prominence to book criticism. Thus it furnishes to the librarian a basis for the valuation of books. As the best reviews of a book often appear during the year following its publication, there will be found in this volume supplementary excerpts relating to books which were entered in the 1907 annual. It will be observed that a few entries include only the descriptive note, reviews for these books having not yet appeared; 1909 will furnish the material for appraisement, and excerpts will be included in current numbers of the DIGEST as fast as reviews are published.

Good, bad, and indifferent books fall into the hands of reviewers who, in the main, honestly reveal the good, bad, and indifferent qualities. The DIGEST then, in making reviews the basis of its selection of books, includes accredited books, doubtful books, and some books altogether profitless. It is quite as important for a librarian or bookseller to know why he rejects some volumes from a list of new books as it is to have a reason for including others. To aid intelligent book selection is the sole purpose of this bibliography.

J. L. W.

Publications from which Digests of Reviews are Made

Am. Hist. R.—American Historical Review. $4. Macmillan Company. 66
Fifth Ave., New York.

Am. J. Soc.—American Journal of Sociology. $2. University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, Ill.

Am. J. Theol.—American Journal of Theology. $3. University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, Ill.

A. L. A. Bkl.—A. L. A. Booklist. $1. A. L. A. Publishing Board, 34
Newbury St., Boston.

Ann. Am. Acad.—Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science. $6. 36th and Woodland Ave., Philadelphia.

Arena.—Arena. $2.50. Albert Brandt, Beatty & Adeline Sts., Trenton, N.
J.

Astrophys. J.—Astrophysical Journal. $4. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, Ill.

Ath.—Athenæum. $4.25. Bream’s Buildings, Chancery Lane, E. C., London.

Atlan.—Atlantic Monthly. $4. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 4 Park St.,
Boston, Mass.

Bib. World.—Biblical World. $2. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Bookm.—Bookman. $2.50. Dodd, Mead & Co., 372 5th Ave., N. Y.

Bot. Gaz.—Botanical Gazette. $7. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Cath. World.—Catholic World. $3. 120–122 W. 60th St., New York.

Class. J.—Classical Journal. $1.50. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, Ill.

Class Philol.—Classical Philology. $2.50. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, Ill.

Dial.—Dial. $2. Fine Arts Building, 203 Michigan Blvd., Chicago, Ill.

Econ. Bull.—Economic Bulletin. $2. American Economic Association.
Goldwin Smith Hall, Ithaca, N. Y.

Educ. R.—Educational Review. $3. Educational Review Pub. Co., Columbia
University, N. Y.

El. School T.—Elementary School Teacher. $1.50. University of Chicago
Press, Chicago.

Engin. N.—Engineering News. $5. 220 Broadway, New York.

Eng Hist. R.—English Historical Review. $6. Longmans, Green, & Co., 39
Paternoster Row, London, E. C.

Forum.—Forum. $2. Forum Publishing Co., 45 East 42d Street, New York.

Hibbert J.—Hibbert Journal. $2.50. Williams & Norgate, London.

Ind.—Independent. $2. 130 Fulton St., N. Y.

Int. J. Ethics.—International Journal of Ethics. $2.50. 1415 Locust
St., Philadelphia.

Int. Studio.—International Studio. $5. John Lane, 110–114 West 32d
Street, New York.

J. Geol.—Journal of Geology. $3. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

J. Philos.—Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods.
$3. Science Press, Lancaster, Pa.

J. Pol. Econ.—Journal of Political Economy. $3. University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, Ill.

Lit. D.—Literary Digest. $3. 44–60 East 23d Street, New York.

Mod. Philol.—Modern Philology. $3. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, Ill.

Nation.—Nation. $3. P. O. Box 794, New York.

Nature.—Nature. 31s. 6d. 66 Fifth Ave., New York.

N. Y. Times.—New York Times Saturday Review, New York.

No. Am.—North American Review. $4. North American Review Pub. Co.,
Franklin Sq., New York.

Outlook.—Outlook. $3. Outlook Co., 287 4th Ave., New York.

Philos. R.—Philosophical Review. $3. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

Phys. R.—Physical Review. $5. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.

Pol. Sci. Q.—Political Science Quarterly. $3. Ginn & Co., 29 Beacon
St., Boston.

Psychol. Bull.—Psychological Bulletin. $2. 41 North Queen St.,
Lancaster, Pa.

Putnam’s.—Putnam’s and the Reader. $3. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 27 & 29 W.
23d St., New York.

R. of Rs.—Review of Reviews. $3. Review of Reviews Co., 13 Astor
Place, New York.

Sat. R.—Saturday Review. $7.50. 33 Southampton St., Strand, London.

School R.—School Review. $1.50. University of Chicago Press, Chicago,
Ill.

Science, n.s.—Science (new series). $5. Science Press, Sub-Station 84,
New York.

Spec.—Spectator $7.50. 1 Wellington St., Strand, London.

Univ. Rec.—University Record. $1. University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, Ill. (Incorporated into University of Chicago Magazine on N.
1, 1908. $2. U. of Chicago Press.)

Yale R.—Yale Review. $3. New Haven, Conn.

From the following publications, digests of reviews are frequently made:

Elec. World—Electrical World. $3. McGraw Publishing Co., 239 West 39th
st., New York.

Engin. D.—Engineering Digest. $2. Technical Literature Co., 220
Broadway, New York.

Engin. Rec.—Engineering Record. $3. McGraw Publishing Co., 239 West
39th st., New York.

OTHER ABBREVIATIONS:

=Abbreviations of Publishers’ Names= will be found in the Publishers’
Directory at the end of The Cumulative Book Index.

=An Asterisk (*) before the price indicates= those books sold at a
limited discount and commonly known as net books. Books subject to
the rules of the American Publishers’ Association are marked by a
double asterisk (**) when the bookseller is required to maintain
the list price; by a dagger (†) when the maximum discount is fixed
at 20 and 10 per cent, as is allowable in the case of fiction.

=The plus and minus signs= preceding the names of the magazines
indicate the degree of favor or disfavor of the entire review.

=In the reference to a magazine=, the first number refers to the
volume, the next to the page and the letters to the date.

=Books noticed for the first time= this month have an asterisk (*)
immediately below the author’s name in entry heading.

=A Maltese Cross= (✠) indicates that the A. L. A. Booklist suggests
the books for first purchase. The letter =S= indicates that the
same publication recommends the book for small libraries.

* * * * *

The publications, named above, undoubtedly represent the leading
reviews of the English-speaking world. Few libraries are able to
subscribe for all and the smaller libraries are supplied with
comparatively few of the periodicals from which the digests are to be
culled. For this reason the digests will be of greater value to the
small libraries, since it places at their disposal, in most convenient
form, a vast amount of valuable information about books, which would
not otherwise be available.

We shall endeavor to make the descriptive notes so comprehensive, and
the digests so full and accurate, that librarians who do not have
access to the reviews themselves, will be able to arrive at
substantially correct appreciations of the value of the books
reviewed.

This is particularly true in regard to the English periodicals, which
are practically out of the reach of the ordinary library, we shall
endeavor to make the digest of these reviews so complete that there
will be little occasion to refer to the original publications.

Chapter