The book under review is a comprehensive study of seventeenth-century European culture, focusing on the civilization of the age as a unified whole. It seeks to balance the various human activities and attitudes that contributed to the culture of Europe in its last pre-industrial phase. While some of these activities may be interrelated, this does not explain the economic growth or the Industrial Revolution. One striking uniformity in the book is the close synchronization of scientific, moral, and aesthetic developments in the seventeenth century, contrasting with the second half of the century. The economic sphere also showed contrast, with the seventeenth century failing to sustain the earlier pace of economic and technical change. The book also includes a review of "Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry," which is divided into four parts. Each part is primarily descriptive, with some emphasis on recent advances. However, the chapter on non-aqueous solvents is criticized for lacking a fundamental approach and for omitting important solvents like alcohol and acetone. There are also issues with numerical data and overlapping information. The editorial policy is criticized for being vague, leading to inconsistencies in the series. The book on tropical medicine is praised for its clarity, illustrations, and usefulness for both students and practitioners. It is a concise and up-to-date manual, suitable for use as a textbook and reference.The book under review is a comprehensive study of seventeenth-century European culture, focusing on the civilization of the age as a unified whole. It seeks to balance the various human activities and attitudes that contributed to the culture of Europe in its last pre-industrial phase. While some of these activities may be interrelated, this does not explain the economic growth or the Industrial Revolution. One striking uniformity in the book is the close synchronization of scientific, moral, and aesthetic developments in the seventeenth century, contrasting with the second half of the century. The economic sphere also showed contrast, with the seventeenth century failing to sustain the earlier pace of economic and technical change. The book also includes a review of "Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry," which is divided into four parts. Each part is primarily descriptive, with some emphasis on recent advances. However, the chapter on non-aqueous solvents is criticized for lacking a fundamental approach and for omitting important solvents like alcohol and acetone. There are also issues with numerical data and overlapping information. The editorial policy is criticized for being vague, leading to inconsistencies in the series. The book on tropical medicine is praised for its clarity, illustrations, and usefulness for both students and practitioners. It is a concise and up-to-date manual, suitable for use as a textbook and reference.