History and its Neighbors

THIS is an interesting and on the whole a sound-J. book by an emeritus professor of history of Stanford University in California. The author has read very widely and thought with an open mind about the various aspects of his subject. What he means by the 'neighbours' of history are the various subjects which contribute to or are in some way related to what he calls 'history', such as economics, law, religion, psychology and a dozen other topics which almost cover the whole field of human knowledge. That there should"be so many and that he calls them 'neighbours' suggests in fact the philosophical weakness of the book-the author does not probe quite deeply enough and does not in his various suggested definitions of 'history' appreciate the vital relation between what he so describes and science or human knowledge as a whole. It is on this point that it may be useful to say a few words, without in any way disparaging Prof. Hulme's book, which would be found extremely useful by anyone studying in one of the so-called 'History Schools'. History and its Neighbors By Prof. Edward Maslin Hulme. Pp. ix+197. (London, New York and Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1942.) 11s. 6d. net.