A Minute study of metal work can make extraordinarily illuminating contributions to the history of science and to economic history, and can substantially enhance our appreciation of early art and culture in general. But it requires not only technical and historical knowledge but also quite costly apparatus and an unusual complaisancy in museum directors. Oldeberg possesses an expert’s familiarity with metallurgical processes and a truly remarkable mastery of the relevant geological and archaeological literature. The State Historical Museum in Stockholm is equipped with a good spectroscope wisely used for the increase of scientific knowledge. To the same end various Swedish museums have permitted the analysis of 640 specimens and a microscopic examination of 34 dating from the ‘Copper Age’ to Viking times. (The number of analyses actually at the author’s disposal and published is brought up to 747 by the inclusion of earlier reports on Danish, Norwegian and Finnish objects). The publication of such results alone, especially when as here illustrated by 800 splendid photographs, would constitute an outstanding event in prehistory.