¶ New notes have also been substituted for those referring to other volumes of the edition, so that each volume is now absolutely complete in itself. The form of the books has been modified, the page being made smaller to adjust them to pocket use. AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY (S. 97) COMPOSITION-RHETORIC (Steps in English Series) By THOMAS C. BLAISDELL, Ph.D., recently Professor of English in the Normal High School, Pittsburg, Pa. $1.00 This book, which aims to teach young people to write effectively, is suited for use in any secondary school. Its ingenious method of treatment, its fresh and interesting character, its great simplicity and suggestiveness, will prove stimulating and inspiring to every student. The work lays a foundation for the appreciation of literature. ¶ Models from the master writers are furnished and pupils are asked to use their own experiences as working material. They are taught to write accurately by being trained to recognize, and thus to avoid, their errors. Principles are studied only when they are encountered, each pupil being obliged to learn merely those of which he is ignorant. ¶ The most important qualities which characterize literature are each taken up in turn and considered. Selections from the works of famous writers are inserted at frequent intervals for purposes of illustration, and it is shown by analysis how they appeal to the feelings, and why they attain the various results necessary to an interesting expression of their thoughts. ¶ When their methods have been discovered and sufficiently illustrated, the learner is asked to use them in writing about familiar experiences. At first compositions of only a few paragraphs in length are required, but later the character sketch, the short story, and the essay are taken up. Letter-writing is emphasized throughout the book. AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY (S.85) A PUNCTUATION PRIMER By FRANCES M. PERRY, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition, Wellesley College. $0.30 The Punctuation Primer is a manual of first principles or essentials simply and systematically presented; it is not an elaborate treatise on punctuation. It offers a few fundamental principles that are flexible and comprehensive, and easily understood and remembered. The meaning of the text to be punctuated and the grammatical structure of the sentence are made the bases for generalization and division. ¶ The discussion is taken up under two main divisions: The terminal punctuation of sentences, and the punctuation of elements within sentences. Under punctuation of elements within sentences, the punctuation of principal elements, of dependent elements, of coordinate elements, of independent elements, and of implied elements are considered in the order given.