Mountain Flowers of New England. By a committee of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Miriam Underhill, chairman. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club, 5 Joy Street. 147 pages, ills. 32 color plates. Price $4.50.

To some of us it is the flowers of the mountains that are sufficient to draw us to the high places, even if no other motive existed. The loneliness of the rocky slopes is distilled into the small white bells of the cassiope; the cool winds of the summits freshen the pink cups of the sheep laurel. Miriam Underhill has skillfully photographed many tiny blossoms in color. The text is interspersed with line drawings by Stuart Harris, who has utilized his 37 years of experience to write the main part of the book, dealing with vascular plants. Jean Langenheim contributed the short section on lichens and mosses, and Frederic Steele was the fourth member of the group that prepared the book. The plants themselves have helped by finding a way to survive winters in the White Mountains, and we salute them. The book contains keys, and clear, concise descriptions of many species. It belongs in your knapsack.

Thomas H. Jukes