ECONOMIC BOTANY

by Albert F. Hill '10.McGraw-Hill Book Co., 2nd Edit., 1952, 560pp., $7.00.

Ted Hill's Economic Botany has proved popular enough to warrant a second edition. The general plan of the new remains the same as in the old edition but the few statistics used have been brought up to date and several other important changes made. The use of better paper has markedly improved the quality of the illustrations as well as the general appearance of the book. Margins have been narrowed slightly, hence, without sacrifice of printed material, space has been found for 50 additional illustrations on a somewhat reduced total number of pages. The chapter on Plant Drugs has been extended to include recent developments in the field of antibiotics and a number of the rarer tropical fruits have been added in the appropriate place. The two greatest changes are the completely rewritten chapter on rubber, and the substitution of a list of books published since 1936 for the old bibliography.

An inventory "of the subjects covered would include all the important crop plants of the world as well as many of the minor ones. A considerable proportion of the plants and plant products are discussed in detail, and their history, cultivation, and preparation for use, emphasized. The book is designed primarily as a text, but it is also valuable for any individual interested in the plants that are of special significance to man.