Houston Edwin James. The Elements of Physical Geography

Philadelphia: Eldredge & Brother, 1892. — 194 p.In the preparation of this work, an endeavor has been made to supply a concise yet comprehensive text-book, suited to the wants of a majority of our schools. The Author, in the course of his teaching, has experienced the need of a work in which unneces-sary details should be suppressed, and certain subjects added, which, though usually omitted in works on Physical Geography, seem, in his judgment, to belong properly to the science. The variety of topics necessarily included under the head of Physical Geography renders it almost impossible to cover the entire ground of the ordinary text-books during the time which most schools are able to devote to the study, and the feeling of incompleted work thus impressed on the mind of both teacher and scholar is of the most discouraging nature. To remove these difficulties, the Author, during the past few years, has arranged for his own students a course of study, which, with a few modifications, he has at last put into book form, thinking that it may prove beneficial to others. The division of the text into large and small print has been made with a view of meeting the wants of different grades of schools, the large type containing only the more important statements, and the small type being especially designed for the use of the teacher and the advanced student. The maps have been carefully drawn by the Author according to the standard works and the latest authorities. Neither time nor expense has been spared to insure accuracy of detail and clearness of delineation. Throughout the work no pains have been spared to insure strict accuracy of statement. Clearness and conciseness have been particularly aimed at; for which reason the names of authorities for state-ments which are now generally credited have been purposely omitted. The Author has not hesitated to draw information from all the standard works on Geography, Physics, Geology, Astronomy, and other allied sciences; and in the compilation of the Pronouncing Vocabulary he acknowledges his indebtedness to Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World. Acknowledgments are due to Mr. William M. Spackman, of Philadelphia, and Prof. Elihu Thomson, of the Central High School, for critical review of the manuscript. Also to Mr. M. Benjamin Snyder, of the Central High School, for revision of the proof-sheets of the chapter on Mathematical Geography.