Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-28

". JANUARY %. 1911.
II N the opinion of the
| Syndics of the Cam.
L bridge University Press,
the new Encyclobae-
daa Britannica is
TThe most useful book for rapid
reference as we'll as the most COM
prehensive and authoritative re-
pository of information that has
ever been published. 1t is conf
IDENTIFY expected that this opinion
will be generally Endorsed by Eng
disappearing people throughout
the world. The advantages of the
New Work over all other encyclo-
paedias consist: (I) Of the man.
ner in which the Editorial staff
have dealt with the literary con-
tents; (2) the wider scope of the
work, and CD the presentation
of the contents as a whole with
a view to making the acquisition
Of knowledge immediate. attract
i've and instructive. While the
principle of exhaustive treatment
has been preserved throughout, the
new edition possesses
TGreater convenience of arrange
ment combined with greater ia
cility of reference: all major sub
ljects were subdivided into minor
headings, which were dealt with
separately and more fully in their
alphabetical places, often by spe-
cialists who wrote the main arti-
cles. 1t will therefore be easy to
frd ones way about in this vast
storehouse of knowledge simply
by looking up the obvious word.
This arrangement whereby
General subjects were consid-
cred apart from subsidiary en-
abled the Editors to treat each of
the constituent parts on its merits.
There was, consequently, no over
tapping and no repetition, all the
parts being co-ordinated and each
having an organic unity in rela-
ton to the rest. The work will be
found to be not only more con-
sistent than ever before, but to
contain more than twice as much
information as the Ninth Edition
in little more than the same space.
Thousands of short articles,
through the scientific plan of
guiding the reader from the gen
eral to the particular, of directing
him to the most natural heading,
have found a place in the Ency-
clopaedia Britannica for the first
time. Owing to the greater facili-
ties for quick reference,
Tits increased utility will be ap-
parent. Surprising that an account
of the Crimean War is required,
the reader will not have to refer
to the histories of England,
France. apd Russia in succession.
as in the Ninth Edition, but will
turn to Crimea: or should the bat
tie of Waterloo be the subject for
reference. an account of it will be
found under the name, and it will
be only incidentally referred to
(but with cross reference) in the
general articles on France and
England. Then, too,
fDictionary Definitions have
been given to scientific and tech
nical terms as we'll as to all words
having a complicated meaning or
an interesting history. The book
is. therefore. self explanatory.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica
nth Edition) will further be
found to be
ia more readable book than ever
before. 1t was the Editors con-
slant aim to make the new edition
an instrument OF popular cul-
ture. Ineligible and interesting
throughout to ''the man in the
street." while instructive to schol-
ars. The most complex subjects
are treated in the simplest Ian
guage. 1t is not necessary, for in
stance, to be a scientist to read
with pleasure the scientific arti-
cles by Lord Rayleigh, Chancellor
of the University of Cambridge.
But though the simplicity is
greater,
TThe authority of the book is on
an even higher level than in the
case of the last edition. The schol-
arship and the best practical
knowledge of the civilized world
have co-operated All encyclopae-
dias heretofore had national linn
itation. having been written by
Americans for A,,,or;copc nv, Eru