REVIEWS 699
in a large part of their book selection and in their method of cata- loguing. It is certainly to be expected that the sociologist will recog- nize the immense influence this book must exercise indirectly on and through public opinion ; for if the library be the organ of social memory, this Catalog will go far toward determining that part of social memory which shall abide above the threshold of social consciousness.
The A. L. A. Library is avowedly not for the specialist. For this reason any critical discussion of the scope, classification, arrange- ment, and utility of the Catalog for the specialist in sociology is out of place. And yet, if the book is to be used by the specialist, it may be well that he know what not to expect to find there.
As to the selection of titles, I shall make no criticism. The limitation of selection to strictly "in print" books explains many omissions, and while no one will be entirely satisfied with the list as it stands, yet it would be academic, if not doctrinaire, to stake one's personal judgment against the intimate knowledge of such a body of librarians as have been drawn on for this purpose. It may be allowable, however, to suggest that the plan of including short alternate lists for more advanced study, such as are given in the philosophy class, might well have been used more freely.
The Catalog consists of a class list, a public documents list, and a dictionary list, with the necessary accessories ; address list of pub- lishers, series abbreviations, authorities for notes, synopsis of the Dewey and Cutter classifications, and a subject index to the former.
The class list gives full entries, names of publishers, price, con- tents note, a short " apprisal " note, and a symbol indicating whether the book is popular, readable, scholarly, a reference work, or for young readers. The notes are of great value for conciseness, definite description, and fair judgment.
Under " Sociology " are listed 604 volumes, or 8 per cent, of the total number. This includes, however, all the social sciences, and excludes public documents, and works on social psychology (classed in 15), social ethics (in 17), sociology of religion (in 26 et a/.), genetic sociology (in 571 and 901), social geography and description (in 91), social history (9), and biography (923). These omissions may indicate to some extent the inadequacy of the classification, as it stands, for the sociologist. It certainly fails to accomplish the supreme end of a classed list, i. e., a conspectus of the total field of any given science, logically arranged. The lack of close classifica-
