Architectural and cultural guide Pyongyang.

Volume 1 offers photographs of nearly 100 buildings in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, organized by topic: "Urban Planning," "Residential Buildings," "Cultural Venues," "Education and Sport," "Hotels/Department Stores," "Transport Infrastructures," and "Monuments." Volume 2 discusses Pyongyang's architecture in historical and theoretical contexts, in critical essays written from a mostly European perspective. From a North American's perspective, the selection and presentation of the photographs is somewhat odd. They lack detailed descriptions, other than brief annotations indicating, e.g., construction year, capacity, and historical notes. Most building facades are shown at a distance, the exception being the public monuments depicting father and son Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The only photo of traditional Korean architecture is in the context of Kim Il-sung's birth house. Three public buildings are depicted: the Grand People's Study House, the Pyongyang Grand Theatre, and the People's Palace of Culture. The rest of the architectural buildings shown are all modern. Very little information about individual artists and architects is included.The descriptions and essays in volume 2 carry more weight than the photographs in volume 1. Editor Meuser's chapter titled "Cabinet of Curiosities" is worth reading. The "Korean Architecture" chapter is a mixed bag, presenting, e.g., 24 pages of photos of mass gymnastics in May Day Stadium, and a rather sparse scene of a beauty parlor in the Changgwansan Health and Recreation Center. Kim Jong-il wrote the chapter titled "On Architecture." Volume 2 features an important discussion of the ideology of North Korea known as Juche (self-sufficiency), along with the Juche Tower photo. Readers at all levels in Korean studies, East Asian studies, and international relations should find this book useful since it is one of a very limited set of publications available in the West about North Korea and, in particular, Pyongyang. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and public library collections; lower-level undergraduates and above, and general readers. S. Freedman Framingham State University Library