These four booklets, all with the same format and chapter titles, are in essence what their titles indicate—surveys of the islands named for the specified years. They include political, economic, social, and military information given in a straightforward factual manner that is helpful for reference because it is both detailed and concise. They were not intended for reading through hurriedly at one sitting but for reference. They are written like so many governmental reports in unimaginative prose with numerous tables. What this reviewer would have liked in addition would be a picture of the social scene in the islands—life as a whole rather than all the separate pieces. For economic and social service activities, a little background and some changes are given; but the time span is so short that little real development can be noted.
What the booklets do well is to il lustrate how administrations in the various islands have taken hold after the disruption of the Federation of the West Indies. Self-government seems to be working well in these islands, and the fairly rapid changes have not disrupted the areas as much as in some other less well-prepared areas of the world.
