The Car" Road Book and Guide : an Encyclopedia of
Motoring, Edited. and Revised by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. (The Car Illus- trated. 12s. 6d.)—The motorist on tour would find this book even more convenient than it is at present if it had been possible to issue it in three volumes. As it is, the book is so bulky that it would sometimes be difficult to use it in the car. If, however, the preliminary information and the directory and gazetteer had been in one volume, the routes in a second, and the Motor-car Acts, 8:c., in a third (which could be left at home), the volumes would be more convenient to handle. This, however, is, we admit, a somewhat ungracious and ungrateful criticism, for the information contained in the book is extremely useful. We must specially congratulate the editor upon his attractive revival of the system of hieroglyphic writing in the portion devoted to routes. The little cartouche which contains the sacred sign of "petrol" is particularly suggestive, and the temple used to signify a "garage" gives the whole a very. Egyptian flavour. The most attractive part of the book to the reader is the account and little plan of the roads. It is easy to journey—as did Stevenson in an atlas—in this book, and far more romantic to follow these roads than to go by the short cuts of the railway. The map at the end is necessarily on so small a scale that it could hardly be of much use on the road, but it is clearly printed and useful for planning out a tour beforehand, especially as the • shading will vable the intending tourist to avoid attractive short cuts through mountainous country. Taking the book as a whole, we heartily recommend it to all intending motor tourists. They will find it an invaluable vade mecum when they desire to sing the song of the open road to the accompaniment of a petrol engine.
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