New Books ( continued ) .sx PROGRESS IN SCIENCE .sx SCIENCE SURVEY =2 .sx Edited by A. W. HASLETT and JOHN ST. JOHN .sx Vista Books .sx 30s .sx A year ago the first volume in this series successfully established the pattern which is here continued .sx The editors ask some 20 to 30 working scientists to report on the progress made in selected and limited fields which are their particular concern .sx They appear grouped together , three or four at a time , under more general heads , with some useful cross references and a good index ; each short chapter contains suggestions for further reading .sx Very little knowledge of the subject under discussion is presupposed , though in spite of its clarity this could not be a " popular " work for people innocent of all scientific training .sx It seems aimed in particular at the sixth-former beginning to specialize , who ought to be given every chance to read such first-hand accounts of the advances made in subjects whose dead past is already all too familiar from the text-books .sx In his Foreword Professor Le Gros Clark puts it explicitly :sx Today , when the demand for more and more recruits in the different branches of science has become so insistent , it is of the highest importance that the interest of potential scientists should be early aroused by having accounts of current trends in scientific research presented in a readily intelligible style .sx FUTURE EFFECT .sx Surveys such as these at regular intervals may well have a real effect on the future through their power to draw the attention of young scientists to interesting fields of activity .sx Only a brief account of the contents is possible here .sx Two articles on astronomy deal in turn with stellar evolution and the determination of stellar distances .sx Curiously the only contribution to pure physics is a description of recent tests of the particular and general theories of relativity .sx Then come articles about the possible ways in which mountain ranges were built up , and magnetic methods of testing the theory of continental drift .sx These are particularly stimulating because little can be taken for granted in sciences at so complex and unsettled a stage .sx DEEP WATER .sx After the earth come the oceans , with observations of the sea floor and of currents .sx A study of plant life in the sea makes the transition to connected articles on the chemistry of plants , and accounts of work on the transmission of nerve impulses and the physiology of muscular activity .sx A section on psychology , " brain and " , treats of the improvement with practice of the ability of animals to learn , the measurement of human mental qualities , their localization in areas of the brain , and the effect of the newer drugs on behaviour .sx This is a particularly controversial area in which scientists easily stray beyond their competence , and there are one or two remarks , such as " whereas the taking of alcohol has always been regarded as a social and moral question , the giving of drugs , irrespective of their consequences , must always primarily be a medical " , which certainly demand further discussion .sx We return to solid scientific ground with the assessment of noise annoyance , the strength of materials , metal fatigue , and materials for use at high temperatures .sx Altogether this is a useful piece of work , which has increased our debt to the British Association .sx THE REAL FRANCE .sx VILLAGE EN VAUCLUSE .sx By L. WYLIE and A. BE@2GUE@2 .sx Harrap .sx 18s .sx This is a shorter version , in French , by M. Armand Be@2gue@2 , of a much longer American sociological study compiled by Mr. Laurence Wylie of Harvard University , using the " field " techniques of sociology , anthropology and psychology , applied during Mr. Wylie's year's stay in 1950 with his wife and two sons in a village which he calls Peyrane .sx DEEP STUDY .sx He presents not a dull statistical treatise nor a light surface-skimming digest , but an examination in depth including e.g. the basic principles of French education and comparative family budgets .sx Nor does he neglect the individual and his psychological reactions- the village grocer's tirade against la famille nombreuse coming to her shop for credit and the returned deportee's judgment on the Maquis are but two examples of vivid reportage .sx There are two maps , an adequate vocabulary and intelligent questions in French at the end of each chapter .sx The author's many excellent photographs make an integral and illuminating contribution to this attempt to give students " a valid picture of contemporary French life and to show how a group of French people live from day to " .sx This is a fascinating book , from the evocative drawing on its title-page to its valuable final chapter , " Peyrane en " , written after further visits , recording the changes brought by tractors , television and main drainage and providing a useful corrective to so many nostalgic pictures of a " quaint " old-fashioned France .sx It merits inclusion in any modern-languages library and could be a stimulating basis for a non-literary sixth-form course or a good adult class .sx OXFORD PAPERBACKS .sx Martin Cooper's French Music , a study covering the period from the death of Berlioz to the death of Faure@2 , has now been issued as an Oxford Paperback ( Oxford University Press , 7s .sx ) .sx Ernest Barker's Principles of Social and Political Theory ( price 7s .sx 6d .sx ) and C. K. Allen's Law in the Making ( price 10s .sx 6d .sx ) are among other additions to the series .sx REVIEWS IN BRIEF .sx CALDERO@2N :sx LA VIDA ES SUEN@4O .sx Edited by A. E. SLOMAN .sx Manchester University Press .sx 8s .sx 6d .sx This edition , with Introduction and Notes by Professor A. E. Sloman , fulfils the need for a new , modern text of the play .sx It is based on the text in the 1636 edition of La Primera Parte de Comedias and takes into account the two Parte texts of 1640 , the Vera Tassis edition of 1685 and the Zaragoza version of 1636 .sx It thus makes use of , as no previous edition has done , all the known texts of the play .sx Professor Sloman has brought spelling up to date , except where this would involve changes in pronunciation , accentuation and capitalization .sx In the Introduction he has covered every aspect of the play under the headings of Date , Sources , Structure and Theme , Language and Metres , Staging and Texts .sx Although the scholarly thoroughness with which every point is treated would satisfy the more advanced and ardent student , the clear and concise manner in which the material is presented makes it interesting and easily digestible for the general or less ambitious reader .sx In particular , the subject of Structure and Theme is discussed very fully , with frequent references to the play itself , and including brief comments on all the characters .sx Throughout , he indicates Caldero@2n's subtlety as a dramatist .sx A list of books is provided for further reading on the subject under the headings of " Caldero@2n in general " and " Recent criticism of La Vida es " .sx The Notes , as Professor Sloman himself remarks , are concerned in part with the most interesting of the variant readings he has considered , and also contain comments on classical allusions , passages which present difficulty in comprehension , and differences between Caldero@2n's vocabulary and syntax and those of present-day Spanish .sx For further assistance , a short index of annotated words and names is included .sx In addition to these considerations the high quality of paper and printing , and the low cost ( contributed to by a rather flimsy cover ) make the book admirably suited to school use .sx It is certain to commend itself quickly to the notice of the examining boards .sx SNORKEL DIVER .sx First Steps in Underwater Swimming .sx By R. B. MATKIN and G. F. BROOKES .sx Macdonald .sx 12s .sx 6d .sx This is a book with plenty of enthusiasm for a sport that has gained rapidly in popularity .sx Few people would attempt to take up underwater swimming without an experienced companion to guide them and they would be ill-advised to try but here they will learn most of the pleasures the sport has in store ; how to practise in a swimming bath ; and how to remain completely safe .sx Many people must have been excited by the thrills and perils of M. Cousteau's Silent World or been urged to explore the shallow fringes by Miss Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us only to be left the feeling that this was beyond them .sx If they swim at all some of the pleasures could be had without the dangers .sx For although snorkel diving is not to be confused with using an aqualung it is proper introduction to it and it is within everybody's means .sx Anyone who swims can learn to use the simple equipment to get more fun out of his bathing .sx Even a comparative beginner can try underwater photography .sx The book is small and unpretentious but not dull and it could encourage many young readers to take the plunge .sx PRACTICAL INORGANIC AND ORGANIC PROBLEMS .sx By M. BROWN .sx Longmans .sx 4s .sx 9d .sx It is true , as the author says , that practical chemistry in schools consists largely of volumetric and qualitative analysis , at the examination stage .sx It is also true that this does little more than provide training in manipulation , coupled with some knowledge of reactions .sx The theme here is to give a number of problems which can be solved by carrying out prescribed reactions , followed by application of the principles involved .sx Some university boards and scholarship awarding bodies have used this approach for a long time and the author has been able to use many of the problems which have been set for their examinations .sx To complete the range of work he has added problems which he has himself devised .sx In the organic section he has included a number of reaction schemes in which the student is required to carry out tests on the original , intermediate and final products , which serve to enlighten the deductive processes .sx The function of the book is highly commendable .sx Most teachers , however , faced with the difficulty of raising the largest number of examination candidates to O and A level in the short time available , will shrink from embarking on a scheme which , however educative , demands a level of intellectual ability which only a smaller number of candidates will achieve .sx The university boards could support the author's initiative by requiring that all candidates tackle a question of this type .sx THE WEAVER'S BOOK .sx By HARRIET TIDBALL .sx Macmillan , New York .sx 38s .sx 6d .sx In spite of the description on the dust jacket this is not really a book for the absolute beginner .sx It is , however , an excellent text-book for the serious weaver who wishes to attain a high standard of craftsmanship and who is willing to spend the time necessary to explore the many possibilities of design in this ancient craft .sx In addition to chapters on the loom , yarns and preparations for weaving , much of the book is devoted to drafting and a thorough description of the various possible weaves .sx The 109 drafts illustrated are methodically grouped and to them are added some excellent photographs of the finished weaves .sx Miss Tidball's book is the result of much practical experience and contains much sound advice , not only for the beginner but also for the more practical weaver .sx The London Theatre .sx YOUNG WRITERS ON THE MOVE .sx From a Correspondent .sx Although Mr. Edward Albee's first play had its first performance here , at the Arts Theatre , he is better known as a dramatist on the continent and in New York .sx On the evidence of The Death of Bessie Smith and The American Dream , the double bill at the Royal Court , this is a state of affairs that will soon be put right .sx In passing one must say how good it is to see the short play beginning to have a look in again .sx During the past two or three years we have often seen plays by the most promising of playwrights spoiled by the absurd necessity of inflating a natural three-quarters of an hour into a full theatrical evening .sx The Death of Bessie Smith tells a simple and terrible story in a laconic , highly charged manner .sx On a hot afternoon , in a crumbling house near Memphis , Tennessee , a nurse is getting ready to go to work ; her old father , dreaming of past splendours , is infuriated by the blues wailing out of his daughter's gramophone .sx