book, is silence. Mediocre books are best handled by a few general statements as to treatment, contents, etc., and mention of their few good points. The fewness of the good features mentioned by the reviewer will speak as loudly as a detailed list of errors and omissions. Valuable books that appeal to a very small public are often treated in the same way as worthless or mediocre productions, because a periodical cannot afford to devote undue attention to affairs that interest a small reading public only, unless the extraordinary merit of the work compels attention as a matter of general scientific progress. This is unfortunate for both reader and author, but it must be so. As to the review itself, it should be readable. A dry-as-dust review, although full of real information and praise, would injure any book. Then also, the reader would like to know who is responsible for the review. He has placed his opinions on record, and is open to a reply from the author, which may possibly result in an unseemly controversy. The reviewer who permits himself to pat the author on the back, to savagely criticise, to act with partiality to the publisher, or to confuse the issue by expounding his own theories, causes his readers to waste valuable time and money, or prevents the spreading of useful information. Fortunately, the signed review seems to be gaining in favor, and though it requires 358 ENGINEERING LITERATU more courage to write over one's sig anonymously, it gives more weight ions expressed. B The reader who is attracted by subject of a book, approaches the the question in mind, "If I purchas this book, will my time and money expended to the best advantage? so far as the review answers that the satisfaction of all who are lik the book, that review is ideal. book reviews are rare and only o shine out among a far greater numbe ces" that convey to the reader n meaningless platitudes. A good b asset, a paying investment, a siler working constantly in the interests o ers; an unreliable book is a menace of danger, leading its trusting reade told trouble, that may result in poss ter and a ruined reputation. The ' view" is subject to much manipul can easily damage a worthy book or most unreliable work with a halo of fian virtue. XXI THE ENGINEER'S LIBRARY Libraries are of two general kinds: public and private. Public libraries vary in character according to the public they are intended for; private libraries-which include such special libraries as those maintained by various industrial and financial corporations for their own use-vary according to the special business interests and the idiosyncrasies of their owners, for the engineer, just as any other man, may have his literary preferences, prejudices, and hobbies. The present purpose is not, however, to treat of such specialties, but of the library in general as one of the tools of the engineer's workshop. The importance of a library is, as a rule, little appreciated by the engineering student. To him, his books and periodicals merely introduce new thoughts which it is the duty of his instructors to make clear. Too often the graduate of a technical college goes out into the world with the idea that he is an engineer of experience and instead of making provision for the continuance of his studies and taking a just pride in the formation of a working library, he even sells his text-books 359 and throws away his periodicals as soon as he has passed his final examinations and received his diploma. What would he think of the brains of an engineer who, finding that his train was moving at sixty miles an hour, shut off steam and trusted to the train to keep on mov; ing to the end of the line? The only direction in which it will go without motive power is down hill-and at the bottom it will stop. It is as true of study. The student who stops the study of his professional literature on his graduation loses momentum and will soon find himself occupying an inferior position. His roll of parchment and degree signify nothing more than a guarantee of a certain amount of training, which has brought him to the point where he must face the real problems of life without the guiding hand of his instructors; when he must depend upon his own resources and the use he makes of the literature of his profession. The successful engineer, on the other hand, uses this literature as a practical working tool. He forms as extensive a library as circumstances will permit, not on the old idea of an accumulation of books to be looked at when wanted, but on the modern idea of an educational institution, where he can carry on his studies on any subject desired. As Carlyle said, "the true university of these days is a collection of books;" from this school the engineer never graduates. Extent of the Engineer's Library. A good library is like a cyclopedia-not a mere aggregation of pages to be read through, but a vast repository of learning for continual use and reference. But what should a good library for the engineer contain? The time was when a well-thumbed copy of 'Trautwine' and a note-book for memoranda of experiences a.id observations, constituted a satisfactory library for the average engineer. In those days the scarcity of technical books and the limited extent of engineering practice rendered such a compendium of practical information necessary, and at the same time, sufficient for all needs. Since that time, the great development of engineering work, the daily increasing mass of professional literature, and the wide dissemination of engineering knowledge through many educational institutions have altered the conditions and made necessary, and have also provided for, a wider range of reading. Mr. Charles W. Baker, in addressing the students of the University of Michigan, thus illustrated the extent of information required for the successful practice of any one branch of engineering: Take, for example, that branch of engineering known as Water Power Development. We do not have to go back more than forty years to reach the time when |