Book Review HANDBOOK OF WATER-SOLUBLE GUMS AND RESINS, Edited by Robert L. Davidson McGraw-Hill Book Compa- ny, New York, 1980, XIV + 657 pages. Price: $39.50. This book is, in some respects, a successor to the 1962 classic "Water Solu- ble Resins" edited by R. L. Davidson and M. Sittig. And a worthy successor it is! In addition to synthetic polymers, cellulose ethers and modified starches, it deals also with many natural gums (from alginates to xanthan) on more than tripled number of pages (with smaller print). It is a large volume packed with wealth of informa- tion, and though one could find more detailed publications on specific poly- mers, as a whole the book should prove an invaluable compendium. From the enclosed biographies of the 33 contributors it is apparent that each is an accomplished expert in the area which he authored. Following a short introduc- tion there are twenty three chapters on individual water-soluble polymers (prod- ucts of animal origin are excluded). As it can be expected, the style and the format of presentation vary somewhat, as does also the extent of material coverage, rang- ing from 8-16 pages on some natural gums to 84 pages on starch. A general pattern is followed of providing ency- clopedic description of chemical struc- ture and properties, then manufacturing, physical properties (with particularly strong emphasis on solubility and rheo- logical characteristics), toxicology, and applications. A very broad range of uses, from adhesives to water treatment, is covered, both industrial and commercial applications are included with general examples, as well as specific formulations and recipes. Food, pharmaceuticals, cos- metics/toiletries (referenced in all but five chapters), inks, paper products and textiles are the main areas discussed, but others such as petroleum recovery, agri- cultural and building products are not neglected. Some very recent develop- ments (e.g., starch graft copolymer-- super slurper) are included. Most chapters end with an appropriate list of references, in some of them most of the quoted literature is from the 50's and 60's, but in others, recent references, up to 1978 or even 1979 are cited. The main illustrative material for each chapter is usually given for the products made by the author's company (a major manufacturer), others are mentioned in lists of tradenames that almost all chap- ters have. Still a few curious omissions occur, e.g., in the tradename glossary for the chapter on polyacrylic acid and its 279

280 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS homologs cosmetic chemists will look in vain for Carbopol--only products made by Rohm and Haas are listed. Very large number of figures (182) and tables (143) is a praiseworthy feature of the handbook, although occasionally, the same material is presented in the text and then in the tables. Figures 20-1 and 20-2 are superfluous, the same curves are also given in Figs. 20-3 and 20-4, respectively. A few tables with just two long columns (or rows) differing by a factor of 1000 look rather peculiar--this is the result of editor's crusading for expressing the viscosity in Pa-s rather than in commonly used cP (all three systems of units, SI, cgs and English, are interspersed throughout the book). In a handbook such transgres- sions do not seem to be too annoying similarly as with a need to look for a figure 8-9 pages away from the text where it is mentioned, they would be more objectionable in a monograph or textbook. Typographical errors are few, and can easily be corrected by an alert reader (e.g., Fig. 22.2 has mislabeled struc- tures of amylose and cellulose, equation on page 21-3 should read • • 1/[I]). Compared to its predecessor one misses here succinct summaries of consumption and price data too few chapters of the handbook have such information. A longer introduction would have allowed all the discussed materials to be seen in perspective. A summary of major markets for water-soluble products could have been included as it is, one has to search individual chapters for such comparisons. All these criticisms cannot change the main impression of the book, it is an excellent source of general information on water-soluble polymers, and many, including cosmetic chemists, will find it most valuable.--JAcK WITF. CZEK--Dia- mond Shamrock Research Center.