following characteristics: unlearned, artless, highly intelligible, unaffected style, suitable language. Sarmiento discerned still other traits: a genuine nationalism, lyrical qualities permitting poems to be sung, subsistence through oral tradition, reflection of old customs, etc. Miscellaneous comments by others included the recognition of the utility of this poetry by virtue of its content of moral philosophy and its record of Old Spanish and Spanish-Moorish deeds and virtues. When the definitive history of literary criticism in Spain is finally written Herr Bihler's researches will be found to be of basic importance. In the meantime, those critics desirous of rechecking their impressions of the genesis of modern Spanish romanticism will find valuable source material in the present book. As is true of most European studies in the Romance field, Herr Bihler's bibliography omits quite a number of important studies by Americans. Especially distressing is his failure to list Homero Serfs's Bibliografia, which would have been extremely useful to him. But since Herr Bihler's primary task was clear-cut, and seemingly carried out with great conscientiousness, he is to be praised for his accomplishment, and not censured on technical grounds. EDWIN B. PLACE Emeritus, Northwestern University