essays on amphibian metamorphosis. It contains over 1200 references, and is both well written and nicely organized !

GEORGE M. MALACINSKI is in the Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1 Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.

Lost in Translation

Protein Synthesis: Translational and Post- Translational Events Edited by A. K. ABRAHAM, T. S. EIKHOM and I. F. PRYME. The Humana Press, Clifton, New Jersey. 1983. Pp. 470. $52.15. By Tim Hunt

Protein Synthesis: Translational and Post- Translational Events presents the proceedings of a meeting held just over a year ago in Norway. It covers wide ground, since ‘ Post-Translational Events’ is interpreted rather literally, and includes just about everything a cell does. It’s true that the hormonal control of adipose tissue lipolysis depends on protein synthesis to provide the enzymes, but the presence of an article on this topic in a book entitled Protein Synthesis is evidence of a lenient editorial policy to say the least; and the experiment of placing introductory remarks at the ends of the sections to which they refer rather than the conventional beginning is interesting but confusing, and in my view unsuccessful. I really wish that people wouldn’t publish books like this.

They are apt to be bad books, and they tend to make for bad meetings too, since the thought of having to produce manuscripts to make possible their existence tends to keep the busier speakers away, while providing a free and unrefereed publication for others. The articles in such collections rarely take the opportunity to expand on or take a freer and easier look at the topics under review; instead they either dupli- cate or pre-empt proper publication elsewhere. Protein Synthesis is just such a book. Its six sections (Initiation of Protein Synthesis; Protein Synthesis on Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Translational Fidelity; Intracellular Protein Trans- port; Protein Glycosylation; and Pro- tein Phosphorylation) contain four to six articles each of variable quality and interest. They are consistent only in their lack of coherence and mutual interdependence (a hallmark of the genre which stems naturally from its mode of production). This is one book you can easily afford not to have in your library, despite its simple and attractive title.

Biochemistry, University of Combridge,

All About Histone Genes Histone Genes: Structure, Organization, and Regulation. Edited by G. S. STEIN, J. L. STEIN and W. F. MARZLUFF. John Wiley and Sons, New York, Chichester, 1984. Pp. 483. f78.70, $105.75. By Lynna M. Hereford This book attempts to bring together in

BioEssays Vol. 2, No. 1 43

BOOK REVIEWS

one volume the current state of knowl- edge about histone gene structure, organization and regulation. The format of the book is to progress through the animal kingdom from lower to higher eukaryotes. In general the approach is a good one although there are some gaps. Thus there is no good review of either sea urchin or Drosophila histone gene sequence organization. This is a glaring omission, in light of the large amount of information which exists on this subject given that these genes were once the darlings of molec- ular biology. In this regard it would have been nice if a compendium of the data which exists on histone gene sequences could have been added so that the reader would have quick access to the similarities and differences of histone gene organization and sequences, in- cluding both the sequences of the genes and their 5’ and 3‘ untranslated regions. One has to ferret out this information continuously from review to review.

These omissions aside, the book does manage to present in one volume important information on histone gene expression in a number of different systems and clearly points out the fact that there is still a lot to be learned about the regulation of these genes’ expression. In general, this book should provide a valuable teaching tool for graduate students as well as good reference source for researchers who are not in the histone field.

I L Y N N A M. HEREFORD is or the Dana-Farber Concer Institute, 44 Binney St, Boston, Mass. 02115, USA.

1 WARNING: CENTRIFUGE USERS I

Beckman Instruments, Inc. has issued an urgent corrective action notice to all Beckman ultracentrifuge owners they have on record.

The warning concerns Models L, L2, L3, and L4 ultracentrifuges, and Type 35 and 42.1 rotors with serial numbers below 1299.

Beckman lists certain rotors which should no longer be used in the above centrifuges. The listed ultracentrifuge-rotor combinations are hazardous due to potential electronic malfunctions that can result in overspeed.

If the rotor subsequently fractures and disintegrates, metallic particles might combine with water from samples and Freon from ruptured cooling coils. A spark could then trigger an explosion of sufficient force to literally blow the lid off the centrifuge. This has happened twice in a recent 90-day period.

Additionally, Beckman recommends immediate retirement of Type 35 and Type 42.1 rotors having serial numbers below 1299 regardless of the centrifuge in which they are used.