HANDBUCH DER PHYSIK. Edited by H. Geiger and Karl Scheel. Volume X. Thermal Properties of Substances. Berlin, Julius Springer, 1926. pp. 486.

The purpose of this grand publication, of which Volume X has now appeared for sale, is “to give a complete picture of the present state of experimental and theoretical physics.” The edition is planned in 24 volumes, with the overall contents distributed as follows. Volumes 1–3: history, demonstration techniques, units, auxiliary mathematical information; Volume 4: foundations of physics; Volumes 5–8: mechanics, including acoustics; Volumes 9–11: heat; Volumes 12–17: electricity and magnetism; Volumes 18–21: optics of all wavelengths; Volumes 22–24: structure of matter and the nature of radiation. It is expected that the publication will be completed in 1–2 years.

The size of the publication—about 12,000 pages, judging by the volume already issued—will hardly surprise the reader. The last prewar edition of Winkelmann’s Handbuch was approximately of the same size. If one takes into account the rapid pace of the development of physics over the last 20 years, then, on the contrary, one must be surprised at the conciseness of the new edition, which aims to give a complete account of modern physics. The secret of this “compression,” or at least of the unchanged size of the publication despite the growth of its content, is connected, of course, with the existence of several new, extremely generalizing theoretical constructions: quantum theory, the theory of relativity, and the doctrine of the structure of matter. The motley chaos of spectroscopy of 10–15 years ago, imprinted in the colossal Handbuch der Spektroskopie of Kayser, has been compressed in its general outlines into the very narrow framework of quantum theory, and many volumes can be replaced by a dozen printed sheets. Of course, the theoretical approach will force the reviewer to discard or forget much “unsuitable,” raw, or overly complex material, and the book will acquire a somewhat one-sided coloring. This is already indicated by the first chapter of the volume that has appeared: “The Solid State,” written by Grüneisen. Quite rationally, from the theoretical point of view, the solid body is identified from the very first page with a homogeneous anisotropic crystal; left overboard are many “solid” bodies of the old physics, to the study of whose elastic and other properties much effort and experimental skill had been devoted. The literature cited relates almost entirely to the last decade. Such is the method by which compactness is achieved in the new edition.

Other articles in Volume X are: “Melting, Solidification, and Sublimation” (Körber); “States of Gaseous and Liquid Bodies” (van der Waals et al.); “Thermodynamics of Mixtures” (Konštamm); “Specific Heat,” theoretical part (Schrödinger), experimental part (K. Scheel); “Determination of Free Energy” (F. Simon); “Thermodynamics of Solutions” (Drucker).

There is hardly a reader in the world who will read all the forthcoming 24 volumes of the Handbuch. The book is written by a collective and is intended for a collective reader. Unfortunately, the price of the edition is such (about 400 rubles) that the purchaser of the book can only be a collective or an institution.

The outward appearance of the edition is very proper, but it hardly justifies the stated price.

S. Vavilov.