new books ( continued ) . progress in science . science survey 2 . edited by A W Haslett and John St John . Vista books . 30 s . a year ago the first volume in this series successfully established the pattern which is here continued . the editors ask some 20 to 30 working scientists to report on the progress made in selected and limited fields which are their particular concern . they appear grouped together , three or four at a time , under more general heads , with some useful cross references and a good index ; each short chapter contains suggestions for further reading . very little knowledge of the subject under discussion is presupposed , though in spite of its clarity this could not be a popular work for people innocent of all scientific training . it seems aimed in particular at the sixth-former beginning to specialize , who ought to be given every chance to read such first-hand accounts of the advances made in subjects whose dead past is already all too familiar from the text-books . in his foreword Professor Le Gros Clark puts it explicitly : today , when the demand for more and more recruits in the different branches of science has become so insistent , it is of the highest importance that the interest of potential scientists should be early aroused by having accounts of current trends in scientific research presented in a readily intelligible style . future effect . surveys such as these at regular intervals may well have a real effect on the future through their power to draw the attention of young scientists to interesting fields of activity . only a brief account of the contents is possible here . two articles on astronomy deal in turn with stellar evolution and the determination of stellar distances . curiously the only contribution to pure physics is a description of recent tests of the particular and general theories of relativity . then come articles about the possible ways in which mountain ranges were built up , and magnetic methods of testing the theory of continental drift . these are particularly stimulating because little can be taken for granted in sciences at so complex and unsettled a stage . deep water . after the earth come the oceans , with observations of the sea floor and of currents . a study of plant life in the sea makes the transition to connected articles on the chemistry of plants , and accounts of work on the transmission of nerve impulses and the physiology of muscular activity . a section on psychology , brain and mind , treats of the improvement with practice of the ability of animals to learn , the measurement of human mental qualities , their localization in areas of the brain , and the effect of the newer drugs on behaviour . this is a particularly controversial area in which scientists easily stray beyond their competence , and there are one or two remarks , such as whereas the taking of alcohol has always been regarded as a social and moral question , the giving of drugs , irrespective of their consequences , must always primarily be a medical responsibility , which certainly demand further discussion . we return to solid scientific ground with the assessment of noise annoyance , the strength of materials , metal fatigue , and materials for use at high temperatures . altogether this is a useful piece of work , which has increased our debt to the British association . the real France . village en vaucluse . by L Wylie and A B&amp;eacute;gu&amp;eacute; . Harrap . 18 s . this is a shorter version , in French , by M Armand B&amp;eacute;gu&amp;eacute; of a much longer American sociological study compiled by Mr Laurence Wylie of Harvard University , using the field techniques of sociology , anthropology and psychology , applied during Mr Wylie &apos;s year &apos;s stay in 1950 with his wife and two sons in a village which he calls Peyrane . deep study . he presents not a dull statistical treatise nor a light surface-skimming digest , but an examination in depth including e.g the basic principles of French education and comparative family budgets . nor does he neglect the individual and his psychological reactions - the village grocer &apos;s tirade against la famille nombreuse coming to her shop for credit and the returned deportee &apos;s judgment on the maquis are but two examples of vivid reportage . there are two maps , an adequate vocabulary and intelligent questions in French at the end of each chapter . the author &apos;s many excellent photographs make an integral and illuminating contribution to this attempt to give students a valid picture of contemporary French life and to show how a group of French people live from day to day . this is a fascinating book , from the evocative drawing on its title-page to its valuable final chapter , Peyrane en 1959 , written after further visits , recording the changes brought by tractors , television and main drainage and providing a useful corrective to so many nostalgic pictures of a quaint old-fashioned France . it merits inclusion in any modern-languages library and could be a stimulating basis for a non-literary sixth-form course or a good adult class . Oxford paperbacks . Martin Cooper &apos;s French music , a study covering the period from the death of Berlioz to the death of Faur&amp;eacute; , has now been issued as an Oxford paperback ( Oxford University press , 7 s 6 d ) . Ernest Barker &apos;s principles of social and political theory ( price 7 s 6 d ) and C K Allen &apos;s law in the making ( price 10 s 6 d ) are among other additions to the series . reviews in brief . Calder&amp;oacute;n : la vida es sue&amp;ntilde;o . edited by A E Sloman . Manchester University press . 8 s 6 d . this edition , with introduction and notes by Professor A E Sloman , fulfils the need for a new , modern text of the play . it is based on the text in the 1636 edition of la primera parte de comedias and takes into account the two parte texts of 1640 , the Vera Tassis edition of 1685 and the Zaragoza version of 1636 . it thus makes use of , as no previous edition has done , all the known texts of the play . Professor Sloman has brought spelling up to date , except where this would involve changes in pronunciation , accentuation and capitalization . in the introduction he has covered every aspect of the play under the headings of date , sources , structure and theme , language and metres , staging and texts . although the scholarly thoroughness with which every point is treated would satisfy the more advanced and ardent student , the clear and concise manner in which the material is presented makes it interesting and easily digestible for the general or less ambitious reader . in particular , the subject of structure and theme is discussed very fully , with frequent references to the play itself , and including brief comments on all the characters . throughout , he indicates Calder&amp;oacute;n &apos;s subtlety as a dramatist . a list of books is provided for further reading on the subject under the headings of Calder&amp;oacute;n in general and recent criticism of la vida es sue&amp;ntilde;o . the notes , as Professor Sloman himself remarks , are concerned in part with the most interesting of the variant readings he has considered , and also contain comments on classical allusions , passages which present difficulty in comprehension , and differences between Calder&amp;oacute;n &apos;s vocabulary and syntax and those of present-day Spanish . for further assistance , a short index of annotated words and names is included . in addition to these considerations the high quality of paper and printing , and the low cost ( contributed to by a rather flimsy cover ) make the book admirably suited to school use . it is certain to commend itself quickly to the notice of the examining boards . snorkel diver . first steps in underwater swimming . by R B Matkin and G F Brookes . Macdonald . 12 s 6 d . this is a book with plenty of enthusiasm for a sport that has gained rapidly in popularity . few people would attempt to take up underwater swimming without an experienced companion to guide them and they would be ill-advised to try but here they will learn most of the pleasures the sport has in store ; how to practise in a swimming bath ; and how to remain completely safe . many people must have been excited by the thrills and perils of M Cousteau &apos;s silent world or been urged to explore the shallow fringes by Miss Rachel Carson &apos;s the sea around us only to be left the feeling that this was beyond them . if they swim at all some of the pleasures could be had without the dangers . for although snorkel diving is not to be confused with using an aqualung it is proper introduction to it and it is within everybody &apos;s means . anyone who swims can learn to use the simple equipment to get more fun out of his bathing . even a comparative beginner can try underwater photography . the book is small and unpretentious but not dull and it could encourage many young readers to take the plunge . practical inorganic and organic problems . by M Brown . Longmans . 4 s 9 d . it is true , as the author says , that practical chemistry in schools consists largely of volumetric and qualitative analysis , at the examination stage . it is also true that this does little more than provide training in manipulation , coupled with some knowledge of reactions . the theme here is to give a number of problems which can be solved by carrying out prescribed reactions , followed by application of the principles involved . some university boards and scholarship awarding bodies have used this approach for a long time and the author has been able to use many of the problems which have been set for their examinations . to complete the range of work he has added problems which he has himself devised . in the organic section he has included a number of reaction schemes in which the student is required to carry out tests on the original , intermediate and final products , which serve to enlighten the deductive processes . the function of the book is highly commendable . most teachers , however , faced with the difficulty of raising the largest number of examination candidates to O and A level in the short time available , will shrink from embarking on a scheme which , however educative , demands a level of intellectual ability which only a smaller number of candidates will achieve . the university boards could support the author &apos;s initiative by requiring that all candidates tackle a question of this type . the weaver &apos;s book . by Harriet Tidball . Macmillan , New York . 38 s 6 d . in spite of the description on the dust jacket this is not really a book for the absolute beginner . it is , however , an excellent text-book for the serious weaver who wishes to attain a high standard of craftsmanship and who is willing to spend the time necessary to explore the many possibilities of design in this ancient craft . in addition to chapters on the loom , yarns and preparations for weaving , much of the book is devoted to drafting and a thorough description of the various possible weaves . the 109 drafts illustrated are methodically grouped and to them are added some excellent photographs of the finished weaves . Miss Tidball &apos;s book is the result of much practical experience and contains much sound advice , not only for the beginner but also for the more practical weaver . the London theatre . young writers on the move . from a correspondent . although Mr Edward Albee &apos;s first play had its first performance here , at the arts Theatre , he is better known as a dramatist on the continent and in New York . on the evidence of the death of Bessie Smith and the American dream , the double bill at the royal Court , this is a state of affairs that will soon be put right . in passing one must say how good it is to see the short play beginning to have a look in again . during the past two or three years we have often seen plays by the most promising of playwrights spoiled by the absurd necessity of inflating a natural three-quarters of an hour into a full theatrical evening . the death of Bessie Smith tells a simple and terrible story in a laconic , highly charged manner . on a hot afternoon , in a crumbling house near Memphis , Tennessee , a nurse is getting ready to go to work ; her old father , dreaming of past splendours , is infuriated by the blues wailing out of his daughter &apos;s gramophone . 