Handbook of population /

Editors Poston (sociology, Texas A&M Univ.) and Micklin (National Institutes of Health) have made a valiant effort to review the entire field of demography, the first such attempt since Philip Hauser and Otis Duncan's 1959 classic, The Study of Population. This new book covers conceptual, empirical, disciplinary, and applied approaches of demographic inquiry. Although organized for classroom or reference use, it is better suited to the latter. The individual chapters give literature reviews and overviews, rather than focusing in depth on a few empirical studies. (In addition, the book's cost would be prohibitive for most graduate students.) Each chapter is diligent in its attempt to cover all relevant issues; the bibliographies provide listings of important (and, in most cases, up-to-date) articles and books that make up the foundations of these subfields. Many of the 28 chapters follow a comprehensive outline of substantive concerns, theoretical issues, methods and measures, empirical findings, and research directions, providing a clear summary of each topic and making it possible to compare each section across topics. Although some demographers might complain that certain topics or geographical areas are not given their due, this is overall an excellent resource for demographers and others interested in learning about the field. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All academic libraries. E. J. Schatz University of Colorado