College and Research Libraries E l e c t r o n i c and P h o t o - c o n d u c t i v e M e t h o d s ( e . g . X e r o x ) , and T h e r m i c , C a t a l y t i c and O t h e r M e t h o d s ( e . g . T h e r m o f a x ) . In g e n e r a l the chapters of each sub-section consist of a descriptive text that is c o m p l e t e yet concise. T h i s is f o l l o w e d by illustrative m a t e r i a l if available. N e x t c o m e s a bibli- o g r a p h y , and then a listing of m a n u f a c t u r e r s and apparatus by c o u n t r y of origin. A f t e r this appears a section of descriptive l i t e r a t u r e f r o m c o o p e r a t i n g m a n u f a c t u r e r s , g e n e r a l l y in the f o r m of reprints of the specification pages of advertising b r o c h u r e s . A t present this section p r o v i d e s only a m o s t i n c o m p l e t e c o v e r a g e of the firms listed in the division b e f o r e it. I t is h o p e d that o t h e r m a n u - f a c t u r e r s w i l l heed the invitation m a d e in the editorial n o t e : " A n appeal is m a d e t o all r e a d e r s and users to supply the editors w i t h c o m m e n t s , additions and c o r r e c t i o n s so that g r a d u a l l y the m a n u a l w i l l b e c o m e less tenta- tive in f o r m and c o n t e n t s . . . O n e m u s t c r i t i c i z e this m a n u a l f o r the difficulty of interpreting the i n f o r m a t i o n in the listing of equipment. I t is an a r d u o u s task to tabulate the inconsistent i n f o r m a t i o n supplied a b o u t their p r o d u c t s by the m a n u - f a c t u r e r s of r e p r o d u c t i o n equipment. I t can be d o n e h o w e v e r , as exemplified by the tables in the U N E S C O S u r v e y ( U N E S C O Survey of Microfilm Use 1951. P a r i s , U N E S C O , J u n e 5, 1952. 43 PP-). I n t e r e s t a b o u t and c o n c e r n o v e r the p r o b - lems of c o m m u n i c a t i o n s appear t o be issues f a c i n g all libraries t o d a y . T h e universality of this m a n u a l makes it a necessary r e f e r e n c e t o o l f o r all but the smallest institutions. R a l p h S h a w in his i n t r o d u c t i o n sums it up in this m a n n e r : " I t is, t h e r e f o r e , an attempt t o e n u m e r a t e the m e t h o d s f o r r e p r o d u c t i o n and selection available so that these m e t h o d s can be studied in relationship t o all the o t h e r c o n d i t i o n s in reaching a decision as t o w h i c h is the best m e t h o d f o r r e p r o d u c i n g any given publication, at any given time, in any given place."—Hubbard JV. Ballou, Columbia Uni- versity Libraries. Foreign Medical Periodicals Union List of Foreign Medical Periodicals, 1941-1952. J a p a n e s e M e d i c a l L i b r a r y A s - sociation. T o k y o , J a p a n , K o k u s a i S h o b o L t d . , 1954. 124 p. In 1942, the third edition of the Union List of Periodicals in Medical Schools was pub- lished by the Japanese M e d i c a l L i b r a r y A s - sociation in keeping w i t h its policy of c o n - tributing to the d e v e l o p m e n t of J a p a n e s e medical science and the facilities f o r research in the field of medicine. A l t h o u g h a n u m b e r of the A s s o c i a t i o n ' s subsequent p u b l i c a t i o n s — Union Catalogue of Medical Works in Med- ical Schools ( s i x v o l u m e s published, three in process), Catalogue of Japanese Medical Periodicals (1941), Classification of Medical References (1936), and the General Index of Foreign Medical Works for the Last Ten Years ( 1 9 5 1 ) have in s o m e respects had f e a t u r e s w h i c h served the 1942 list in a s u p - p l e m e n t a r y capacity, the first direct descendant and a c c u r a t e i n d i c a t o r in the true sense of being a union list, is the w o r k r e v i e w e d in this statement—the Union List of Foreign Medical Periodicals, 1941-1952. T h i s w o r k , h o w e v e r , is distinctly d i f f e r e n t f r o m the p a r e n t publication in several r e - spects. F i r s t its l a n g u a g e m e d i a m a k e s it a t o o l of value not only f o r the J a p a n e s e m e d i - cal p r a c t i t i o n e r and research specialist, b u t f o r m e d i c a l men and w o m e n the w o r l d o v e r . I n addition t o the publications being listed by title in the l a n g u a g e of a p u b l i c a t i o n ' s origin, the l o c a t o r device ( s y m b o l s ) and its key are in English, rather than in Japanese c h a r a c t e r s as in the 1942 edition. T h e one e x c e p t i o n n o t i c e d in the m a t t e r of titles being listed in l a n g u a g e of origin is the Russian Arkhiv anatomii histologii i embriologii (Archives russes d'anatomie, d'histologie et d'embryol- ogie). In the 1942 edition the main entry w a s in R u s s i a n w i t h a F r e n c h translation. P a u c i t y of Russian titles n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , it m a y be said that the scope of the w o r k , in list- ing the libraries' holdings, is universal in c o v e r a g e . T h e r e are 1734 titles listed. T h e s e are l o c a t e d in the holdings of the 77 c o - o p e r a t i n g m a j o r m e d i c a l libraries o f Japan. W h e r e the 1942 periodical list w a s c o m p i l e d w i t h several parts and sections, m u c h of it entirely in Japanese, the present smaller, m o r e c o m p a c t w o r k , is in a single alphabet by title a r r a n g e m e n t . T h e pages are d o u b l e c o l u m n e d w i t h the first w o r d of each title in h e a v y b l a c k type w h i c h stands o u t clearly, p r o v i d i n g a means f o r rapid finding. P r e c e d i n g each first w o r d in the m a r g i n is the title's n u m b e r e d listing in fine type. E a c h entry lists the title .478 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES and place of publication. B e l o w each listing are the capital letter symbols indicating the l i b r a r y o r libraries in w h i c h the titles are l o c a t e d , w i t h the v o l u m e n u m b e r , the year in parentheses, the issue n u m b e r , v i z : 1618 V I R C H O W S A r c h i v fiir pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und fiir klin- ische Medizin. Berlin. B R FS N M W K 3 2 1 ( 1 9 5 1 ) - CB 321 (1952)2- P r e s u m a b l y , w h e n a v o l u m e is c o m p l e t e and the entry open, the year only is s h o w n . I n a f e w instances certain inconsistencies in entry data w e r e n o t e d . Instances of indicating holdings by m o n t h s of issue instead o f by n u m b e r s f o r a single title within a single entry w e r e noticed, v i z : 1062 M O D E R N drugs SN 1952 T A H 1952 1 4 7-8 10- T S 1952 Jan. A p r . B u t such inconsistencies appear i n f r e q u e n t l y ; and although this r e v i e w e r had been appraised of one e r r o r in entry and of one publication i n c o r r e c t l y having t w o entries u n d e r t w o different titles f o r the same periods, these points w e r e not o b s e r v e d . T h i s publication w a s begun, a c c o r d i n g to the editors, d u r i n g the latter p a r t of O c t o b e r o r early N o v e m b e r , 1952. Six months later, the participating librarians had c o m p l e t e d s u b - mitting the data requested relating t o their l i b r a r y h o l d i n g s — a n o t e w o r t h y achievement. T h e editorial c o m m i t t e e c o m p l e t e d its c o m - pilation and sent the w o r k to the printer in the s u m m e r of 1953. T h a t it remained in the printer's hands u n d u l y l o n g and w a s not ready f o r distribution until M a r c h 1954 is r e g r e t t a - ble, f o r a c o n s i d e r a b l e time lag in the c u r r e n c y of the list's entries resulted. Y e t , by and l a r g e , the publication of the Union List of Foreign Medical Periodicals, 1941-1952, is a c r e d i t a b l e achievement. N o t only is it a v a l u a b l e addition t o medical b i b l i o - graphic tools, but its c o m p l e t i o n is a tribute t o the individuals responsible f o r its u n d e r - taking, and t o those w h o put m u c h time and e f f o r t into the w o r k . It is decidedly a step in the right direction of f u r t h e r i n g c o o p e r a t i v e undertakings f o r the g e n e r a l gain o f b i b l i o - g r a p h i c c o n t r o l and librarianship in J a p a n . L i b r a r i a n s of J a p a n , as a g r o u p and individ- ually, m a y w e l l o b s e r v e and p r o f i t f r o m the e x a m p l e of f r u i t f u l results stemming f r o m c o o p e r a t i v e p r o f e s s i o n a l enterprise. I t is an approach t o b i b l i o g r a p h i c c o n t r o l w h i c h , f o r the m o s t part, is superior to individual b i b l i o - graphic pursuit w h i c h , in the past, has been a s t r o n g tendency a m o n g librarians in J a p a n . The Union List of Foreign Medical Peri- odicals is a f u r t h e r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o the d e - v e l o p m e n t of interlibrary l o a n practices in Japan, and as such, it is an essential t o o l in the m e d i c a l l i t e r a t u r e field. A n d , outside of Japan, as w e l l , it m a y serve as an excellent universal checklist of medical serial p u b l i c a - tions.—Robert L. Gitler, Japan Library School, Keio-Gijuku University, Tokyo, Japan. Historians, Books, and Libraries Historians, Books, and Libraries: a Survey of Historical Scholarship in Relation to Library Resources, Organization and Serv- ices. B y Jesse H a u k Shera. C l e v e l a n d , W e s t e r n R e s e r v e U n i v e r s i t y Press, 1953. xvi, 126 pp. $3-50- " H i s t o r y is little m o r e than r o m a n c e t o him w h o has n o k n o w l e d g e of the succession of events, the periods of d o m i n i o n , and the distance b e t w e e n one g r e a t action and a n - o t h e r . " S o w r o t e D r . J o h n s o n nearly t w o h u n d r e d years ago, in a plea f o r adequate k n o w l e d g e of c h r o n o l o g y . P e r h a p s e v e r y o n e w i l l g r a n t that dates and c h r o n o l o g y are i m - p o r t a n t , a l t h o u g h m o s t people feel n o p e r s o n a l o b l i g a t i o n t o keep them in mind. B u t the r e c o r d of historical scholarship b o t h b e f o r e and since D r . J o h n s o n is one of c o n t i n u i n g uncertainty as t o the meaning of history. P e r h a p s H e r o d o t u s , w h o implied that history really w a s little m o r e than r o m a n c e , seems a b o u t as adequate t o m a n y readers t o d a y as d o V i c o , C a r l y l e , T a i n e , Spengler, B e a r d , T o y n b e e , and the M a r x i s t s , all of w h o m by their differing philosophies have w r i t t e n his- t o r y as prophecy. M a n y earnest f o l l o w e r s of the g r e a t v o n R a n k e have b e c o m e so enmeshed in all " t h e f a c t s as they h a p p e n e d " that they are unable t o d e t e r m i n e the truth, a difficulty the New York Times has likewise found puz- zling. I t is t h e r e f o r e scarcely astonishing that OCTOBER, 1954 644.