CURRENT LITERATURE.
The Year-Book of Facts in and the Arts for 1876, by James Mason (Ward, Look, and Tyler), is an annual publication of which we have before spoken in terms of well-deserved praise. This year it appears with certain modifications of plan. The publication has hitherto been delayed by the effort to include within its limits the facts belonging to the whole year. But this delay more than counter- balanced the advantages of a symmetry which was formal rather than real. Henceforward it will cover a time beginning and ending with the 15th of October. Another change, the value of which it is not es easy to estimate, is that "the articles have been selected with a view to general rather than special interest." Probably the alteration is for the better. Specialities must be left to the reoords which are devoted to them. The "Facts for 1876" are classed under twenty-seven heads. "The Human Race" occupies the first place, with sixteen pages ; "The Animal World" and "The World of Plants" have each allotted to them more than as mach more ; geography, geology, heat, electricity, our food-supplies, astronomy are among the other heads. This is a volume which is in a high degree both useful and entertaining.—With this we may mention its companion volume, proceeding from the same author and publisher, The Annual Summary : a Complete Chronicle of Events at Rome and Abroad, 1875-76.
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