Worldmark encyclopedia of the nations.

From Eritrean independence to German reunification, the geopolitical world has changed drastically in the seven years that have passed since publication of this work's 7th edition. As a result, the 1995 revision includes 25 new entries and 570 additional pages. The first volume is devoted to the UN, while the remaining four are composed of encyclopedic country entries that include maps (corrected to 1994) and flag illustrations. As with earlier editions, entries are uniform in format and written in easy narrative style. Compared with the annual Europa World Year Book (1989- ), Worldmark falls short. On the international level, Worldmark provides good treatment of the UN and its agencies, but Europa adds descriptions of dozens of non-UN related international organizations. At the country level, a survey of 12 entries reveals more exhaustive treatment by Europa, with more pages and statistics per entry. Time between publication of editions ranges from several years to more than a decade. The editors of this 8th edition note "the world has changed dramatically," a truism that unfortunately condemns this edition to rapid obsolescence. For comprehensive coverage that does not need map and flag examples, Europa is the better value. Useful for all undergraduate libraries, especially community college level. P. M. Beile; Louisiana State University