Book Reviews

This book supplements Maheswari’s “Introduction to the Embryology of Angiosperms” which was published in 1950 by the McGraw Hill Book Comapny, Inc., New York, Toronto, London. The present volume was printed in India and published by the wellknown Society mentioned above. The two volumes resemble one another very much in size, print, way of illustration, and references after each chapter. Together they form the most—and perhaps the only—complete and comprehensive source of knowledge on the embryology of Angiosperms. A third volume on the embryology of Gymnosperms and lower vascular plants would no doubt be warmly welcomed by all who are interested in homologies in all Cormophyta. Differences between the two books are that the former (in this review referred to as M. ’50) was written under the sole responsibility of Prof. Maheswari, wheras the present one has been composed by the joint efforts of no less than fourteen authors, of whom seven are Indian, two French, two American, one English, one Italian, and one German. This measure was evidently necessary, and, indeed, most effective in view of the tremendous specialization and, consequently, the enormous literature on the subject of the last fifteen years. Accordingly, the embryology of Angiosperms has been considered from several points of view. It has greatly contributed to as well as been assisted by many fields of Botany. While M. ’50 is what it claimed to be, an “introduction”, the present book is “meant for those who have already gained some familiarity in this field” (Preface). The plan of the book in general follows that of M. ’50, but some chapters have been given new titles or their contents have been rearranged, and some new ones were added.