Minor Notices

417 (New York, The Macmillan Company, 1906, pp. xi, 669.) In this book Mr. Beard tries to solve a problem very real to teachers of large history classes — the twofold problem of introducing each member of the class " to a number of great authorities on special periods and topics " at the same time, and of securing a critical examination of the material in the class-room. His work differs from the well-known source-books in that it consists of excerpts from the secondary sources only : e. g., Mait- land, Freeman, and Stubbs. Thirty-six authors are represented and a larger number of works. The difficulty of making a wise selection from abundant materials is recognized and fairly met. Each chapter is prefaced by a brief explanatory statement concerning the citation, which is divided into sections with topical headings. These form a brief, clear analysis. It must be a dull or negligent student who, with these aids, cannot see the bearing of the passage on the topics under discussion. A short bibliographical note concludes each chapter, and an index at the end of the volume gives easy access to the material. When the treatment of the subject by a well-known authority is specially open to criticism, the fact is stated and comparison with other writers recommended ; for example, Professor Freeman's treatment of the Anglo-Saxon royal council, or Witan, as compared with Mr. Chad- wick's in his Anglo-Saxon Institutions; or Dr. McKechnie's careful commentary on the true nature of Magna Carta, and the mass of tradi- tion which grew up about it from re-reading the charter " in the light of the interests of succeeding ages . Probably no one will criticize the author for devoting half his space to the last three centuries. The present tendency seems to be to emphasize modern history. A glance at the table of contents suggests an interesting book, which is confirmed by a more careful examination. For example, part iii.. " Mediaeval Institutions", deals with "The Growth of an English Manor" (Mait- land), "The Medieval Gilds" (.shley). "Town Life in the :Middle Ages" (Green), "The Church in the Middle Ages" (Stubbs), and " John Wycliffe and the Church " (Trevelyan). A collection of this kind is open Jo two serious objections: (i) the subject-matter is in a sense " predigested ", and the student fails to get the discipline which comes from finding the material and analyzing it for himself; (2) the personality of the authors becomes blurred. The book seems to be the work of one man, not of thirty-six. There is a value in handling the original work, a temptation to go beyond the immediate assignment and to become intimate w;ith the author. This is not likely to result from reading a collection of excerpts. To meet this danger, Mr. Beard would require the student to supplement the readings by independent critical work in the library. This plan, if faithfully ad- hered to, will almost certainly give the students, as a class, a deeper insight into history than they would secure otherwise. C. T. Wyckoff.