NEW BOOKS.

Annual Record of Science and Industry for 1872. Edited by SPENCER F. BAIRD, with the Assistance of Eminent Men of Science. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1873.

THIS is, in compact form, a record of investigation and discovery, which shows how large and active is the army of workers in the interest of science. So comprehensive a work could not be entirely free from error, but it is almost so. As a book of reference it is invaluable, and can be by no means uninteresting to the general reader.

Turning-Points in Life. By the Rev. FREDERICK ARNOLD, B. A., Christ Church, Oxford. New York: Harper and Brothers. 1873.

As may be inferred from its title, "Turning-Points in Life" deals with those questions which are, at the same time, the hardest to answer and the most important in the lives of all men. It is, therefore, of especial interest to those who begin to see these enigmas looming up before them, near enough to present in full light all their knotty points, but far enough off to afford time for deliberation. On all the practical questions which he discusses, Mr. Arnold appears to speak impartially and carefully and with good judgment. More than this, however, we cannot say. He is not a deep thinker, but is rather content to repeat what has been said before, or to wander off into anecdotes and instances, very interesting in themselves, but not good as arguments. We would gladly forgive a few more errors, or arguments which would provoke opposition, for the sake of greater originality. It is but fair to say that the book is worth reading, if only for the information which it furnishes upon many subjects which almost all Americans are interested in, though their knowledge of them may be somewhat confused, such as the peculiar characteristics of the Oxford and Cambridge universities, the advantages and disadvantages of the different professions in England, etc. The anecdotes and stories about distinguished persons, of which Mr. Arnold appears to possess an unfailing supply, are certainly the newest things in the book, and, perhaps, the best. They relate to men of all times and nations, and contain in themselves a vast store of curious, amusing, and suggestive literary information.