BOOK HANDBOOK OF CHEMISTRY AND PHY- SICS, 45th Edition, edited by Robert C. Weast, The Chemical Rubber Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 1964. Price $15. The Rubber Handbook in its old [ormat has been a trusted and steady companion of chemists in all labora- tories for many years. It is likely, therefore, that the 45th Edition in its revised format will carry on the established tradition. Aside from the change in size, the enlargement of the tables of Organic and Inorganic Compounds and the extensive De- scription of the Elements are particu- larly noteworthy. Most chemists will also welcome the inclusion of the rules for nomenclature as adopted by the I.U.P.A.C. It is understandable that the pub- lishers of a work of this type and size (about 1500 pages) are anxious to utilize existing plates in order to be able to produce the volume at a reasonable cost. As a result, the mathematical tables and many other tabulations appear in the size •vhich has for many years been the trade- mark of the Rubber Handbook. This reviewer spotted one error in the Index which gives the ionization constant of amino acids on page D76 whereas, in fact, this information appears on page C667. The re- viewer was also disappointed to find that the section on definitions and formulas has not been revised and that such items as the Mossbauer effect and the principle of parity are not covered. Despite these minor defects, there can be no doubt that the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is one of REVIEWS 541 the soundest investments that any chemist can make.---M. M. Warner-Lambert Research Institute. ENZYME NOMENCLATURE, Recom- mendations 1964 of the International Union of Biochemistry, Elsevier Pub- lishing Co., Amsterdam-London-New York. 1964. 219 pages indexed. Price $2.50. This volume presents the recom- mendations of the International Union of Biochemistry on the nomen- clature and classification of enzymes together with their units and symbols of enzyme kinetics which were ap- proved during the meeting of the International Union in Rome in February, 1964. The booklet con- tains seven relatively short chapters and a list of lengthy appendices. The chapters are devoted to a discus- sion of enzyme units, rules for nomenclature, symbols of enzyme kinetics, and classification of specific enzyme groups. The major portion of this volume is devoted to a list of enzymes (Appendix E). This tabula- tion includes the accepted systematic name, the trivial name, specificity, and the catalyzed reaction for each enzyme. This effort to correct and up-date the earlier report (1961) of the International Commission on En- zymes will be appreciated by bio- chemists throughout the world. It is obvious that this volume is not meant for pleasure reading but that its main purpose is to serve as a handy reference and useful dic- tionary.--M. M. RiEoER--Warner- Lambert Research Institute.

542 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS SURVEY OF PROGRESS IN CHEMISTRY edited by Arthur F. Scott, Vol. I (1963) and Vol. II (1964), Academic Press, New York, N. Y. Price $7.95 each. A recent ad for one of the well- known national magazines questioned whether the education of a college graduate stops when he is handed a piece of the skin of a dead sheep. It appears that the editor of this series hopes that these and succeeding volumes will answer this rhetorical question. In the preface to Vol. I the editor states that the primary target of the survey is the chemistry teacher, but he also hopes that the survey will meet the needs of many other chemists who would like to keep abreast of what is happening in chemistry outside of their own field of specialization. Generally, it appears that these aims of the survey are met, and it is hoped that the reception of these volumes will war- rant the continuance of this series. It appears rather futile to list the thirteen chapters of these two vol- umes, all of which have been con- tributed by experts in their field. The topics appear to be selected at ran- dom. Each is covered fairly thor- oughly, stressing especially develop- ments during the last ten years, al- though basic information gathered during earlier years is also discussed. It is obvious that most chapters are directed at readers who already have some knowledge of the subject under discussion. The emphasis on prog- ress during the period since most working chemists have left school makes this survey particularly wel- come. In contrast to the Annual Reports published by the Chemical Society in London, the treatment of the various subjects is more thorough and detailed and requires little or no reference to the original literature, although each chapter is provided with numerous literature references. It is unlikely that any specialist will find much of immediate interest in these two volumes. However, those interested in chemistry and those who would like to keep up with the progress of chemistry in areas outside of their own narrow field of interest will find these volumes most valuable. Their cost is reasonable, and leisurely reading of many of these chapters should prove reward- ing and will bring up-to-date informa- tion to the reader. It is hoped that the editor will con- tinue to publish this survey without deviating from the existing format and keep the chapters relatively short and readable.--M. M. RIEGE}• --Warner-Lambert Research Insti- tute. P}•OG}•ESS IN INDUSTmAL MIC}•o- BIOLOC¾, Volume 5, edited by D. J. D. Hockenhull, Gorden & Breach, Science Publishers. 1964. 326 pages. Price $13.50. This is the fifth annual edition covering various subjects pertaining to applied bacteriology. Each of the seven chapters is written by experts from England, Japan and the United States. The cosmetic chemist or bacteri-