PRAIRIE GIANTS. Dommasch, Hans. Saskatoon, Western Producer Prairie Books, c1986. 127pp, cloth, $29.95, ISBN 0-88833-196-7. CIP Grades 7 and up Reviewed by A.L. Florence Volume 15 Number 2 1987 March A visual record of the dominant architectural form on the western Canadian prairies, this collection depicts the grain elevator from its beginnings in the 1880s to its gradual dismantling in recent years. Such headings as "symbols of the past," "sentinels," "symmetry," "seasons," skyscapes," and "cycles of life" clarify the grouping of some magnificent photographs to highlight various aspects of the grain and transportation industries over a century. An excellent introduction outlines the form, function, and history of this characteristic tower, marking at regular intervals the railway network that once served the people of the prairies, a network now abandoned and in disrepair. Around the feet of these "prairie giants," the economic and social life changed inevitably as industrial technology eased, the workload and speeded transportation. A sentimental treasure for the longtime prairie dweller, a vivid portrayal of a distinctive architectural form threatened by changing times, this volume represents an appropriate record of a century of Western Canadian economic history. Recommended highly for larger collections. A.L. Florence, Winnipeg, Man.