BOTANY

by Prof. Carl L. Wilson, with linedrawings by Dr. Hannah T. Croasdale.Dryden Press, New York, N. Y. 1952. $6.10. Professor Wilson's new text is one in which he should feel great satisfaction, and it is my belief that many teachers of introductory courses in botany will find it a most satisfactory class text.

Since this review is not written for a professional publication, it seems quite unnecessary to give any detailed description of the scope or the arrangement of the contents. Suffice to state that it covers the field very adequately, yet the author has wisely avoided the mistake of such detailed coverage that the beginning student becomes confused by a welter of unessentials. The subject is presented in such a manner as to serve a double purpose: to be interesting to the student who elects botany as a part of his general education, yet also to serve as a thorough foundation for the student who plans a professional career in botany or any of its related fields of science.

The book is well written in a style which is easy for the student to comprehend, and the use of technical terminology is kept to a minimum consistent with an adequate training in the subject. Furthermore, the technical terms which have been used are properly emphasized in italics and so clearly defined as to render them easily understood by the reader. Understanding of such terms, and of the text in general, is further helped by profuse illustrations, both line drawings and photographs.

The photographic illustrations are well reproduced and the line drawings by Dr. Croasdale are the best that I have seen in any of the numerous botanical texts. They are beautifully executed and, in their clarity and simplicity, unusually helpful to an understanding of the text. Dr. Croasdale deserves high credit for her contribution. The publishers also are to be congratulated on the design and lay-out. The double column pages, together with the illustrations set off by red borders, and the line drawings printed in both red and black, add greatly to both the readability and the attractiveness of the book.

Naturally, as a text, the book is designed for use by the student, but it is also one in which the lay reader will find much interesting material.