Book Description:
EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANOES, NOUNTAIN BUILDING, TEREE ARTIGLXS PUBLISHED IN THE NORTH AhERICAX REVTEW, 1869 1871. UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE. f 871. CONTENTS. NOTE. The first of these articles appead in the North Amcrican Review for April, 1869, VoL CVIII. page 578 the second, July, 1869, Vol. CIX. p. 231 the third, October, 1571, Vol. CXIII. page 235. A few extra copies of cach were struck off and are here placed together for cmcnicnt distribution to friends and those who may be specially intereskd in the subject of volcanism. J. D. W. CANEBIDGE, October, 1871. EARTHQUAKES. J. The 3irs.t PrzrZncEes of Observationak XeismoEogy. By R. MALLET. 2 TOIS. Royal 8vo. London. 1862. 2. Untersuchungen iiber dug Phanomen dm Ei.dbebm in der Schweiz. Von G. H. OTTO VOLGER. 3 Theile. Gotha. .1857. 3. Volcanoes and Xarthguakes. By bIM. ZURCHER and Mm GOLL. 80. Philadelphia and London. 1869. THE titles placed at the head df this article indicate three as characteristic books as could be selected from among the mess of publications devoted either to earthquakes alone or to eartli quakw and volcanoes conjointly. In the last one on the list me have a fair specimen of a class of books which are becom ing quite common, which mostly originate in France, are trana lated in England, and are reprinted here, and which, while pretending to be scientific, are, in reality, as far from having any claim to that character as possible. The principle on which tlicse books are got up seems to be this A number of showiIy designed and elegantly engraved wood cuts are manu factured, and then some scientific penny a liner is hired to put together a text to match the pictures, no time being al lowed for doing the work properly, even if the pcrsorl selected were competent, which is rarely the case, the dominab ing idea being, evidently, to produce something which a not very critical public shall bo tempted into buying, on account of the beauty of its moclianical execution, and with the incidental advantage of getting aomething scientific into the bargain. The materials for the illustrations and text of such books are taken right and left without acknowledgment, the one cari catured and the other popularized, that is to say, enor mously exaggerated or misrepresented, partly through igne rance, but chiefly through a desire to produce a aensationd 1 effect. The result is even worse than that produced by the modern sensational novel for the latter is read, thrown away and forgotten, wlde the pseudo scientific and elegantly illustrated volume is carefully laid away in tlre book case, and referred to as a standard authority, and most certainly added to the dead weight of every public library, crowding out that which is really vaIuable in the same department, and which is overlooked, perhaps because it is a lifdle old, because its exterior is not attractive, or becausc its appearance has not been horalded by a publishers fanfaxe. There could not be a better instance selected, as a text on which to preach a scrmon, d propos of this style of illustrated works, than tlat furllishcd us by this book of MhI. Zurchor and AImgollE, mhoeer they may be. The illustrations are sliomy, and, as far as the engraving is concerned, well executed, though badly printed in th6 English editiou from the purchased electrotypes, while, in the original, that branch of the mechanical executioll was undoubtedly carefully attendcd to. But let any one conversant with the subject of which the volume treats examinc the illustrations, and he mill see at once that the drawings were made by persons entirely ignorant of what they mere attempting to represent. Thus, in the views opposite pages 10 and 34, an attempt is made to show the phenomena of violent eruptions of Etna and Vesuvius...
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