THE BRITISH ISLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 122, 25 May 1935, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE BRITISH ISLES.

A VALUABLE REFERENCE BOOK. If anyone wants a thoroughly reliable unci comprehensive book of reference to the trade, resources, and economic position of the Old Country, he cannot do better than study "The British Isles," a geographic and economic survey, by L. Dudley Stamp and S. H. Beaver (Longmans). 1t5.704 pages are packed with information on all sorts of subjects, ranging from the geographic and geological features of the country, with special reference to their influence! on tho inhabitants and trades of particular localities, to the growth and distribution of the national wealth. Particularly ' interesting to the general reader is the short account of tho way in which the Briticli islands were peopled from the earliest times, and the developments of the settlements and how these were affected by natural conditions. The story of the growth of tho great cities and their effect on their environment, especially in the case of London, is most valuable and instructive, and might provide food for thought by those charged with the governance of growing places like Auckland. Much is written of the chief ports and their particular trades. Lastly, the foreign trade of England and Ireland is discussed, and emphasis is laid on the fact that it is wrong to take the time just prior to the war as a normal period with which to compare the England of to-day. This is a most valuable book to keep for reference purposes.