THE new volume on beryllium will be welcomed on account of the interest which is being taken in the commercial production of the metal and of its alloys, known to have valuable properties. The literature has been reviewed up to May 1930 and the result is a very useful compendium of information. It must, of course, be borne in mind that this is a work of reference, in which results are recorded so far as possible in chronological order, rather than a textbook to guide the reader in his choice. Thus, many methods are described of obtaining beryllium from its chief ore, including the separation of the metal from aluminium by means of the different solubilities of their fluorides, although no preference is indicated. Again, there is no hint to show that electrolytic methods of reduction are to be preferred to purely chemical methods. While the volume contains a list of references to researches on the alloys of beryllium, the detailed account of the alloys must be sought in other volumes of the work.Gmelins Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie.R. J. Meyer. System-Nummer 26: Beryllium. Pp. viii + 180. 30 gold marks. System-Nummer 58: Kobalt. Teil B: Die Am-mine des Kobalts. Pp. xxv + 376. 58 gold marks. (Berlin: Verlag Chemie G.m.b.H., 1930.)