(1) Chemistry for Beginners (2) In the Realm of Carbon: the Story of Organic Chemistry (3) The Spirit of Chemistry: an Introduction to Chemistry for Students of the Liberal Arts

Abstract

AT the beginning of the present century there were few works on chemistry written in such a mariner as to appeal to the intelligent layman; so that, in spite of such earlier works as Scoffern's “Chemistry No Mystery” (1839), chemistry remained a decided mystery to the average educated person. The text-books of the period were dressed in the trappings of an unimaginative formalism, and to layman and aspiring chemist alike the subject appeared to be far removed from the activities and interests of everyday life. Little attention was paid at that time to the historical evolution of the science or to the personalities of its creators. Such a system of instruction was capable of transforming a chemical enthusiast into a chemist, but it aroused no general interest in chemistry.

(1) Chemistry for Beginners.

Dr. E. J. Holmyard. (Dent's Modern Science Series.) Pp.xi + 223 + 8 plates. (London and Toronto: J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd., 1930.) 2s. 6d.

(2) In the Realm of Carbon: the Story of Organic Chemistry.

Prof. Horace G. Deming. Pp. x + 365. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1930.) 15s. net.

(3) The Spirit of Chemistry: an Introduction to Chemistry for Students of the Liberal Arts.

Prof. Alexander Findlay. Pp. xvi + 480. (London, New York and Toronto: Longmans, Green and Co., Ltd., 1930.) 10s. 6d.