Book Reviews

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

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REVIEWS
69
several monographs reprinted elsewhere (Notes on turquois in the East, Chicago, 1913; Chinese clay-figures, Chicago, 1914; The beginnings of porcelain in China, Chicago, 1917).
Tibetan language and literature and Chinese art are only two of the many subjects studied by Laufer. Two articles which date from 1911 concern 'King Tsing, the author of the Nestorian inscription' and 'The introduction of vaccination into the Far East'. Other articles deal with 'Cardan's suspension in China' (No. 215), 'The vigesimal and decimal systems in the Ainu numerals' (No. 221), 'Concerning the history of finger-prints' (No. 233), 'Multiple births among the Chinese' (No. 260) and 'The introduction of tobacco into Europe' (No. 300).
In 1908 Laufer was appointed curator of the Field Museum in Chicago, where he remained until his death in 1934. Henry Field, who took up his duties as Assistant Curator of Physical Anthropology in 1926, contributes a lively description of Laufer as curator (pp. XX-XXVII). The personality of Laufer in earlier years of his life emerges clearly from his correspondence with Franz Boas (1858-1942). The latter for many years acted as a fatherly friend to Laufer and tried to promote his career in every way possible, even though Laufer himself did not always make the task easy. In 1898-1899 Laufer was the leader of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition to Sakhalin and the Amur region, and in 1901-1904 he was in charge of the Jacob H. Schiff expedition to China. His letters to Boas give much interesting information on these two expeditions and the often difficult conditions in which he was obliged to work. The letters from Laufer to Boas and Boas to Laufer (pp. 1-286) are followed by the correspondence between Erwin von Zach (1872-1942) and Laufer (pp. 286-301).
Dr. Hartmut Walravens, the editor of these two volumes, deserves our gratitude for his publication of Laufer's letters and Kleinere Schriften. His task is not yet completed for a third part will be required for the publication of Laufer's works in the last period of his life (1926-1934) and of those published after his death. This part will probably also include the detailed index announced by the editor in the preface to the first part. Let us hope that, after the publication of the third part, the publishers may be persuaded to reprint in an additional volume some of the books and articles which had to be omitted from the second part of the Kleinere Schriften.
Australian National University
J. W. DE JONG
Christopher H. B. Reynolds, Sinhalese. An introductory course. School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1980, 319 S.
Zu den bekannten Einführungen in die gesprochene singhalesische Sprache 1 (spoken or colloquial Sinhalese) ist eine neue getreten. In den Grundzügen war C. H. B. Reynolds "Course" schon im Jahre 1967 fertiggestellt; die nun vorliegende überarbeitete Fassung hat der Verfasser im Jahre 1978 abgeschlossen.
Das Lehrbuch "is intended to give a general introduction to the [spoken] language in a form which can be used, if necessary, without a teacher"... It "is designed for westerners, and therefore gives much fuller comment and explanation than any existing course known to the compiler... It should provide an essential introduction to further study of the language and its literature" (Preface). Das Lehrbuch soll im folgenden auch gemäß den Zielsetzungen und Ansprüchen seines Verfassers beurteilt werden.
Zunächst zum Aufbau: Dem eigentlichen Lehrgang ist ein Kapitel vorangestellt, in dem die Grundregeln der Aussprache knapp dargelegt werden ("Introduction" S. 1-9). Der Stoff des folgenden Lehrgangs ist auf 31 Lektionen aufgeteilt worden (S. 10-271). Am Anfang jeder