THE ANNUAL REGISTER, 1936, Edited by M. Epstein THE STATESMAN'S
YEAR BOOK, 1937, Edited by 'M. Epstein •
CURRENT LITERATURE
-. The 178th issue of The Annual Register (Longmans, 3os.) is as useful and informative-as ever. The first part of the book consists, as usual, of a review of the Political History of Great Britain ; it is not often that an annual survey is privileged to record both the opening and the close of a reign. Indeed, 1936 was a gloomy year ; the two middle chapters of this section describe the Failure of Sanctions, and The Conflict in Spain. Nothing could be more useful than the 12 chapters in the second section devoted to the history of Foreign Countries and, especially, of the Indian Empire and the Dominions. But perhaps the admirable objectivity of the volume is best illustrated by the opening sentence of the Retrospect of Literature, Art and Science. " The most important event of the year was the publication in England, at long last, of James Joyce's Ulysses. There has never been any serious dispute about its- merits _among those competent to, judge it." To find such a. sentence in The Annual Register is especially grati- fying to -lover's of literature ; but the same good 'sense and lack of bias are exhibited throughout the volume, -in subjects as controversial as the Spanish War and the Abdication of Edward VIII. Those Who wish to supplement this historical account with statistical detail will turn to that indispensable work of reference, The Statesman's Year Book (Macmillan. 2os.) which „covers all the States of the world. The Government- of Abyssinia-is given to Italy. The true value of the mass of information provided here can only be properly appreciated by those, who are many; who day by day need to make use of it. It is awe- inspiring to think of the amount of work which must have been done by Dr. Ep- stem in editing these two volumes. He is one of the world's great benefactors.
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