government publications

DIANE HARVEY GOVERNMENT

r e v i e w s & r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s

PUBLICATIONS

COMMUNISM

1. Problems of Communism.

EUROPE -- ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

2. OECD Observer. 3. Revenue Statistics o f OECD Member Countries.

EUROPE - POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

4. NATO Review.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5, Agenda.

WORLD POLITICS

6. Naval War College Review. 7. UN Chronicle. 8. U.S. Department o f State Bulletin.

SPORTS - SOCIAL ASPECTS

9. International Review of Sport Sociology.

COMMUNISM

1. Problems o f Communism. v . 1 - , 1 9 5 2 - . Bi-M. Subscrip- tion: $10.00 U.S.; $12.50 foreign; $1.70 single copy U.S.; $2.15 single copy foreign. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Published by International Communication Agen- cy, 1776 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20547. Editor: Paul A. Smith, Jr. Circ.: 25,000. Annual index in Nov.-Dec. issue. Indexed: A.B.C.PoLSci.; Econ. Abstr.; tlist.A bstr.; Ind. U.S. Gov.Per.; SSCI; Soc.Sci.Ind. Backfile: Available in microform from UMI. LC 54-- 61675. ISSN 0032-941X. SuDocs ICA 1.9:vol./nos. Item no. 672-42.

Problems of Communism is an important journal that presents scholarly articles on world communism in all its dimensions - political-ideological, soeio-economic, and military. Emphasis, of course, is placed upon the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

In a typical issue analysis and background information are provided in four or five articles of 5,000 words or more. Recent contributions include such titles as "The Soviet Union and Northern Europe," "Chinese Politics: Deng's Turbulent Quest," "Workers and Party in Po- land," and "Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan." The articles are signed and submitted by American and European scholars both in and out of government. Opinions range widely and do not necessarily reflect those of the Inter- national Communication Agency.

This publication is noteworthy for its excellent book reviews alone. Often as many as 25 books are reviewed and the text comprises nearly one-third of the issue. The essays are grouped in sections by subject and reviewed by authorities within a particular field. Biographical sketches reveal these to be professors, authors, and government officials. Because of this practice of examining titles by specific topic, Problems of Communism reviews books that have been published over a longer period of time. (This generally means publication dates between the past two to five years.) There is a time lag, but it is a superb source for finding analysis and comparison of books relating to the same subject.

"Notes & Views" is a regular feature of this bi-monthly. It comprises short articles, reports and/or corres- pondence to the editor. Graphs, charts, and photographs

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are used to illustrate major articles, resulting in a bal- anced, inviting publication.

Themes and authors often overlap those appearing in a similar periodical, Studies in Comparative Communism. This title, however, is somewhat more specialized and be- longs in technical collections. Problems of Communism, though not exactly for the layperson, is highly recom- mended for all academic and large public libraries.

Lauralee Grabe

EUROPE - ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

The OECD Observer. 1962-- . Bi-M. $9.00. The Organi- sation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Information Service, Chateau de la Muette, 2, rue Andre- Pascal, F 75775, Paris, CEDEX 16. Editor: Jane Bussiere. Circ.: 25,000. Indexed: Bus.Per.Ind.; PALS," Curr.Cont. ISSN 0029-7054.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization committed to sustained economic growth and employment, financial stability, and the expansion of multilater- al, nondiscriminatory world trade among member countries. OECD member nations include nineteen Western European countries as well as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.

The OECD Observer is the most popular periodical issued by the Organisation. It serves two functions. The first is to appeal to a wide readership with summaries of knowledge gained by the considerable activities of the Organisation. The second is to provide a forum for discussion of current world social/economic affairs.

The Observer is vividly illustrated and carefully pro- duced. The magazine's format has remained unchanged since its inception: Occasional features include highlights of the OECD Economic Outlook and comparisons of statistical data on member countries. Each issue contains a description of new OECD publications.

Articles found in the Observer are generally written by the OECD staff. Signed articles are occasionally contributed by outside specialists. Issues usually include articles devoted to discussion on one featured topic. The Observer's subject coverage is varied, as witnessed by these recent issue topics: "Improving Nuclear Safe- ty , " "Tariff Preferences," "Coal," and "State of the

SERIALS REVIEW OCTOBER/DECEMBER 1981 31

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Environment in OECD Countries." General subject access is provided through indexes

compiled on a periodic basis by the OECD staff. Access is also available through such popular library indexing services as the Business Periodicals Index, Current Con- tents, and Public Affairs Information Service (PALS). Microform backfiles of the Observer are available from University Microfilms International.

The highly readable writing style, attractive format, and t imely topics make the OECD Observer a logical pur- chase for medium to large public libraries, as well as for most academic libraries.

Steven D. Zink

Statistiques de Recettes Publiques des Pays Membres de l'OCDE/Revenue Statistics o f OECD Member Countries. 1972?-- . A. Irreg. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2 rue Andre-Pascal, 75775 Paris CEDEX 16, France; U.S. sales agent - OECD Publica- tions Center, Suite 1207, 1750 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20006. LC 74-161310. ISSN (none available). Each issue carries an ISBN.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was founded in 1960 to promote economic growth and development among its member states. OECD publishes a variety of statistical compila- tions with data on its members; the annual Revenue Statistics presents data on tax revenues including compul- sory social security contributions. Each volume includes current and historical information (separate issues cover a time span beginning with 1965 through the year prior to publication). Each is written in both French and English. The data are "for the most part . . . provided by Dele- gates to Working Party No. 2 of the Committee on Fis- cal Affairs (of OECD)" (p. 12, 1979 issue). A list of sources used by the contributing countries is included as an appendix in each issue.

Each issue begins with a summary of results, e.g., brief comments on tax levels and tax structures in the member countries, followed by graphs such as "Total Tax Revenue as Percentage of GDP" (Gross Domestic Product), "Social Security Contributions as Percentage of GDP," and so on. The OECD tax classification is then listed. Of these there are essentially five main groups which are: taxes on income, profits and capital; social security contributions; employers ' payroll or manpower taxes; taxes on property; and taxes on goods and services. This tax classification is then discussed in some detail and compared with three other tax revenue classifica- tions, the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA), the European System of Integrated Economic Accounts of the European Communities (ESA), and the schedule used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The OECD classification is generally compatible with SNA and ESA. A chart summarizes the differences/ similarities.

The major portion of each issue consists of the statistical tables. Within them there are four main divisions: comparative tables (e.g., "Taxes on Personal Income as Percentage of GDP" with percentages reported for each member country); summary country tables (tax revenues for each tax category for each country); country tables on social security contributions (one table for each country); and detailed country tables which provide more detailed breakdowns of data although they of course repeat data reported in the summary country tables. Footnotes , general notes, a list of abbreviations, sources of data, and a report on the allocation of tax revenues by levels of government are included following

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the statistical tables. The 1978 volume (covering 1965- 1976) has two special features, a section on estimating effects of changes in the income tax and another on the tax/benefi t posit ion of a typical worker in 1972-1977.

The statistical tables appear to be reproduced from computer print-outs; although the typeface is small and the imprint sometimes faint, the tables are generally readable. The paper binding will probably not withstand heavy use.

On the whole, Revenue Statistics may be considered a reliable source of tax revenue data for OECD countries. It reports its sources, defines its terms, and presents its data in a coherent manner. Although the Statistical Yearbook of the United Nations includes some tax revenue figures, Revenue Statistics presents much more data for the twenty-four OECD states. It will undoubted- ly be a useful source in research and business libraries.

Stuart Miller

EUROPE - POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

NATO Review (formerly NATO Letter). 1 9 5 3 - . Bi-M. Free. Editions in English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Greek, Portuguese, and Turkish. Informa- tion Services Distribution Unit, NATO, 1110 Brussels, Belgium. Distributed in the United States by the Distri- bution Services Staff, Bureau of Public Affairs (PA/M), Dept. of State, Washington, DC 20520. Also available from the Documents Expediting Service, Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Annual self-indexing by auth- or and combined table of contents. ISSN 0027-6057. [Ed. Note: See also SR 4, no. 1 (1978): 63]

NATO's primary reason for existing since the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington on April 4, 1949, is resistance to Soviet military expansion into western Europe. Despite recent desires to explore other non-military Atlantic problems and to check the rising power of other regional blocs, this anti-Soviet military aspect of the alliance remains supreme. NATO Review reflects this military emphasis; 50 per cent of its articles in the past two years covered military weaponry con- ventional and nuclear - and common defense measures. Most articles are concerned with the Soviet Union.

The most detailed article in the past two years cata- loged current at tempts to make the various European, American, and Canadian weapons systems compatible, and plot ted future efforts, down to the level of pistol bullet calibers. The most lengthy article in the same time period described the nuclear weapons technology available to NATO members. Defense measures analyzed recently include not only military defense systems, but also civilian efforts.

A second theme running through the NATO Review is the necessity of recruiting other regional blocs to help contain the Soviets. Thus, articles on south Asia or the Far East focus on making allies of the countries in those regions. The Afghanistan Crisis, for example, was the subject of one recent article. It is described as a golden op- portuni ty to make Pakistan a replacement for the loss of Iran in western defense planning. Analyzing the history of NATO constitutes a third minor theme, especially its country-by-country growth during the post-World War II era. While these articles are usually the reminiscences of the countries ' negotiators about the experience of joining NATO, the intent of the articles seems to be a desire to stop the fears that NATO is slowly breaking up. France is now only a sometimes participant while Greece and Turkey fluctuate in their membership. By constantly reminding readers that each country fulfilled its own

32 SERIALS REVIEW OCTOBER/DECEMBER 1981

national desires for continued independence from Soviet domination by joining this organization, the editors help to avert a dissolution of NATO.

During the past two years, only 10 per cent of the articles in the NATO Review have dealt with seeking common solutions to internal non-military issues. These internal issues range from the needs for environmental controls and a European civil aviation agency to such phenomena as Eurocommunism and terrorism. Even in its internal problems, then, the review often sees the spectre of the Soviets.

The authors o f all these articles include reputable government and academic figures. Recent contributors include the former British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath and Hodding Carter III, formerly of the U.S. State Department and star of American television during the Iranian hostage crisis. However, NATO military personnel, residents of conservative U.S. "think tanks" such as the Hoover Institute, and recipients of NATO fellow- ships write the bulk of the articles. Their self-interest is evident. It is interesting to note the European emphasis of most of the articles; the role of the United States and Canada is played down to the point of virtual non-exist- ence.

A most helpful section of the NA TO Review gives the complete texts of official NATO communiques. These communiques reflect the actual functions of the NATO alliance much more than many of the analytic articles. A recent issue (February 1981) has a communique giving detailed defense expenditures for the NATO countries since 1949. These communiques are also the only part of the NA TO Review representing the official policies of the alliance and its members.

Does the NA TO Review provide % constructive discussion of Atlantic problems" as its editorial statement claims? The answer seems to be a qualified "yes." Cer- tainly the military and strategic aspects of the NATO countries are analyzed sufficiently, but the economic, social, and cultural aspects are not. For these, readers should refer to Europe: Magazine of the European Community. Since nine of the fifteen NATO countries are also in the EEC, Europe provides a nice subject counter-balance, and it also corrects the NATO Review's lack of American-Canadian influence.

NATO Review, then, seems more suited to middle level technocrats and academics who pursue Realpolitik, or to bolster the sense of European importance to the alliance than to students or curious laypersons interested in the problems of the Atlantic community.

Bill Obrieh

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. Agenda. v.1- , 1978-- . 10/yr. Free on request. Publica- tions Division, Office of Public Affairs, Agency for Inter- national Development, Washington, DC 20523. Editor: Lee Mullane. Circ.: 31,000. Indexed: Ind.U.S.Gov.Per. Annual self-index. LC 78-642407. ISSN 0161--1976. SuDocs: S 18.34/2: Item 900-C--8. [Ed. Note: See also SR 4, no. 1 (1978): 66]

The Agency for International Development (AID) ad- ministers U.S. foreign economic assistance programs of two kinds, development assistance and also economic support funds. It cooperates with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and State in this work. The Agency oper- ates in such areas as disaster assistance, and often chan- nels its response through a variety of international organi- zations or U.S. voluntary agencies. Like its predecessor, War on Hunger, Agenda reports on economic and social

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conditions and problems in certain less developed countries of the world, especially parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and discusses efforts (both failures and successes) to alleviate the pressing needs of the peoples there. Although it is an official organ of AID, each issue carries a disclaimer which states that opinions expressed are not necessarily the official AID or U.S. policy.

Articles in each 20 to 24-page issue vary in length from 500 to 4,500 words and cover the particular subject in an interesting, non-technical way. Accurate information is presented without blatant bias. Most pieces are written by the staff of AID or related agencies, and many of the authors have experience out in the field. Excerpts from other publications, such as the WorMwatch Papers, are sometimes reprinted; for example, one issue con- tained a 10-page excerpt from Lester Brown's On the Twenty Ninth Day. Topics run the gamut of human con- cerns: food, nutri t ion, famine, the green revolution; the status of woman and her part in development; population control, human rights, literacy; disease, health care, water supply; and energy alternatives, and land reform. The outstanding feature of the publication is in its illus- tration. Excellent black-and-white photographs docu- ment the conditions encountered and the solutions tried. Other graphic materials, such as tables and charts, are also well done.

Regular departments include "What the Media S a y . . . " and "Development Update ," placed on the verso of front and back covers in each issue. "In Print," which appeared in eight issues in 1978 but only occasionally since that t ime, provides a 500 to 700-word review of a current book in a related area, summarizing its contents and in- dicating the book 's usefulness. "Viewpoint," appearing from time to time, highlights one person's opinion on a current issue.

Foreign aid programs are often misunderstood and maligned. Libraries could do much to promote better understanding of them by asking to be placed on the mailing list of this very attractive publication. Back files are unavailable or very limited, but current issues are enough for most libraries. Agenda should be placed in high school, public, academic and special (including church) libraries.

Laura H. MeGuire

WORLD POLITICS

Naval War College Review. 1948-- . Bi-M. Free. Pub- lished by the Naval War College of the U.S. Department of the Navy, Newport , RI 02840. Editor: Commander W.R. Pettyjohn, USN. Controlled circulation. Indexed: Ind.U.S.Gov.Per. SuDocs D 208.209:(vol. nos. & nos.). Item no. 4 0 8 - A - 3 . ISSN 0028-1484.

The Naval War College Review is one of those periodicals which seems to be continually overlooked as a source of articles on current as well as historical U.S. military affairs. Although one could argue that the viewpoint is definitely a mili tary one, the information provided is still valuable. A recent sampling of articles included such topics as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, international terrorism, a history of NATO, and a biographical article on MaeArthur. The majori ty of the contributing authors are active in the military and are male. Articles contain extensive notes and references. A short biographical sketch and photograph of each author is included.

Three regular sections of the Naval War College Review are "Set and Drift ," "The Barometer," and "Professional Reading." "Set and Drift" contains short (less than ten pages) articles mostly of current military interest. Past


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articles included information on SALT, employment of the TF/A--18 airplane, arms transfer restraint, and energy. Few or no references are cited for these articles. "The Barometer" is the letters-to-the-editor section of the Naval War College Review. Also included in this sec- t ion are announcements of upcoming military-subject- related seminars and symposia. The Professional Reading section contains one book review article, several signed book reviews submitted by both military personnel and civilians, and an annotated selected list of recent acquisi- tions of the Naval War College Library. Reviews are lengthier than those appearing in such review journals as Choice and LJ. Both privately and federally published titles are included. Most of the reviews are favorable.

The Naval War College Review is indexed in the Index to U.S. Government Periodicals from 1970 forward. It is also self-indexed annually in the November-December issue. Unfortunately, the self-index provides only author access. Book reviews are also indexed by author of the title reviewed. There is also a cumulative self-index: Naval War College Review Index: 1948--73.

Subscriptions to the Naval War College Review are limited to military commands, to government offices, to libraries and to individuals who may be officers of U.S. and foreign military services, U.S. government officials, or civilians who have a past or present affiliation with the Naval War College. When I phoned the editorial office of the Review to inquire why circulation is controlled, I was told the free subscriptions supported by public funds necessitate this policy.

The Naval War College Review is available in microform from UMI from 1972 forward. There are no plans at this time to convert any of the previous issues to microform.

The Naval War College Review can be a valuable source of information on U.S. military affairs as long as the military slant of the articles is taken into consideration.

Deborah Hunt

UN Monthly Chronicle. May 1964- . M (except Sept./ Oct. bimonthly). $11.00. United Nations, Dept. of Public Information. Order to: United Nations Publica- tions, Room A--3315, New York, New York 10017; Sales Unit, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland [French ed.] ; Director, United Nations Information Cen- tre, President Mazaryk, No. 29, Mexico City 5, Mexico [Spanish ed.] . Editor: Leo B. Byam. Circ.: 12,000. Indexed: R.G. LC 64-9411. ISSN 0041-5367.

The breadth of the United Nation's involvement in global affairs ranges from issues of nuclear proliferation to malnutrition. Timely coverage of the activities of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in these wide ranging interests is provided by the UN Monthly Chron- icle. The timeliness of the UN Monthly Chronicle is especially useful to students of international affairs who often encounter difficulties in following current international developments due to the slow publication pat- terns of other possible sources. Published in English, French, and Spanish, this illustrated journal is a basic title for high school, public and academic libraries.

Individual issues range from 50 to 120 pages and serve to explain the goals and achievements of the organization. The major portion of each issue is devoted to the "Record of the News" a feature which provides a concise and continuing record of the proceedings, decisions and resolutions of major UN agencies and committees. "Record of the News" divides its coverage into three sections: political and security, economic and social, and legal. Occasional issues have additional sections which

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extend coverage to administrative and budgetary matters. The sections range from one to twenty pages and empha- size the areas of major concern to the United Nations. Apartheid, disarmament, energy and water supplies are illustrative of the diverse topics covered.

The monthly issues of the Chronicle also include "Highlights" and "Notes." "Highlights" are capsule comments on the more lengthy reports found in the "Record of the News," while "Notes" are very br ief reports on current and future activities. Other useful features in "Notes" are the calendar of meetings, lists of conven- tions and agreements, a selected bibliography of documents related to issues in the Chronicle and an annotated list of selected sale publications which includes sale number, pagination and price.

Occasional issues of the UN Monthly Chronicle contain a section headed "Articles." Rather than analytical research articles these are addresses, press releases, statements and reports of agency officials. A new feature sec- t ion "Reader 's Forum" was introduced in the January 1981 issue. This column is intended to provide answers to questions on the UN agenda as well as to provide a vehicle for reader opinions.

Individual monthly issues are not indexed but an annual cumulative index is provided. The publication pat- tern of the annual index varies slightly but in general indexes the calendar year. More timely indexing is available in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.

Although the UN Monthly Chronicle can be tedious reading, its coverage and timeliness provide extremely useful information for libraries serving students of world affairs as well as the public.

Joanne Donovan

Department o f State Bulletin. July 1, 1939-- , vol. 1- . M with A index. $19.00 domestic; $23.75 foreign; single copy $3.25 domestic, $4.10 foreign; index single copy $2.25 domestic, $2.85 foreign, from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Wash- ington, DC 20402. Published by the Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Com- munication, Washington, DC 20520. Available on microfilm from Microfilming Corp. of America, 1620 Hawkins Ave., Sanford, NC 27330, and on microfilm and micro- fiche from University Microfilms International, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Indexed: Ind. U.S. Gov. Per.; R.G.; P.A.I.S. ISSN 0041-7610. S/N 044--000-- 80001-2. SuDocs S 1.3:(v.nos. & nos.). Item No. 864.

The weekly Department o f State Bulletin began publication on July 1, 1939 as a successor to the monthly Treaty Information and, more directly, to the weekly Press Releases, both of which were discontinued with their June 1939 issues.

Press Releases began on October 5, 1929 as a means of making more easily available the daily mimeographed news announcements through which the State Depart- ment publicized its current purposes and activities. How- ever, by 1939 Press Releases had expanded to include official statements by key State Department people, information about treaties and international agreements, news items about Foreign Service activities, and lists of State Department publications, as well as routine news announcements about international relations.

The new Bulletin carried forward the format of Press Releases almost without change, except for a somewhat expanded section on "Treaty information." Fit t ingly for 1939, the Bulletin's first item was a statement by Secre- tary of State Cordell Hull promoting his "peace and neutrali ty program" as an assured means of keeping the

34 SERIALS REVIEW OCTOBER/DECEMBER 1981

country out of war. Other items in early issues included foreign policy messages of the President, Foreign Service personnel news, official Department statements on various aspects of foreign policy, abstracts of treaties, proto- cols and agreements entered into or being considered by the U.S., news about international conferences, commis- sions and meetings, statistical tables, and lists of publications issued by the Department.

The Bulletin continued in its weekly format with semi- annual indexes - and the disconcerting habit of starting its page numbering over every January and July, appar- ently to avoid four-digit page numbers - until the end of 1977. With the January 1978 issue, the Bulletin switched to monthly publication with an annual index and the pages of each issue separately numbered. The new monthly format featured slightly larger pages, more readable typefaces, illustrated covers, an improved table of contents in each issue, three columns per page instead of two, and increased use of charts, graphs, tables and photos.

The change in publication frequency, however, did not change the Bulletin's basic purpose. This, according to its editorial statement, is to be "the official record of U.S. foreign pol icy" and "to provide the public, the Congress, and government agencies with information on developments in U.S. foreign relations and the work of the De- partment of State and the Foreign Service."

To these ends, current Bulletin issues have offered foreign policy statements of the President and the Secre- tary of State, most often in the form of transcribed inter- views and news conferences. Numerous other policy statements by various State Department and other government officials are arranged in topical sections, for example: Africa, Canada, East Asia, Economics, Energy, Europe, Middle East, and so on. A section on treaties lists current actions on and summaries of various international agreements and also gives citations to the TIAS where applicable. There is a chronology of important events such as official visits, international conferences, U.N. developments, and key foreign happenings which might affect U.S. foreign policy. Also given is a list of State De- partment press releases citing the number and date issued for each release. A publications column offers titles, prices and GPO ordering information for a variety of De- partment documents. Finally, there is - a good feature - a subject and name index for each issue.

The first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, probably wouldn' t approve of the elliptical, stultifying diplomatic jargon which all too often characterizes modern State Department prose. Nevertheless the Bulletin does manage to communicate more or less clearly (according to diplomatic requirements, one assumes) the "official" atti tudes towards various foreign policy issues. As to providing comprehensive information about U.S. foreign relations, i t 's clear in retrospect that "the public, the Congress, and government agencies" are told - at least in the pages of the Bulletin - only what is considered good for them to know. Not a word appeared in the Bulletin about the real U.S. role in the Iranian coup of 1953, for example, though the September 14, 1953 issue did pub- lish a seven-line Presidential massage extending "sincere felicities" to the Shah on the occasion of his "return."

There are countless other examples of the contempor- ary suppression of significant facts about U.S. foreign relations which, perhaps too obviously, set stringent limits on the use of the Bulletin as a historical source. Also the Bulletin, because of its declaratory nature, is of little value for the analysis of foreign policy. For these matters publications such as Foreign Affairs or the New York Times should be consulted. Bernard A. Block

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SPORTS - SOCIAL ASPECTS

International Review o f Sport Sociology. v . 1 - , 1966-- . Q (A 1966--1972). $40.00. Unipub, 345 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010. Editor: Andrzej Wohl. Indexed: Soc.Abstr. ISSN 0074-7769. LC 72-624424. OCLC 1148997.

Edited by the Committee for Sociology of Sport of the International Council of Sport and Physical Education (UNESCO) and the International Sociological Associa- tion, the International Review of Sport Sociology is a refereed journal of international scope concerned with the mutual impact of sport and society. Published quart- erly since t973, each issue contains between six and eight articles dealing with the multifaceted aspects of sports participation and organization, both amateur and professional, as well as the cultural impact of sports, and the role that cultural differences play in shaping the way particular sports are played. All articles are in English, with an abstract and bibliography for each article. Since v. 13 (1978) all articles have also had appended to them abstracts in Russian, German, and French. Book reviews have been a regular feature since the journal 's inception.

Sport phenomena in many countries have been discussed in the issues of the review, with broad ranging subjects such as "Acceptance of Nigerian Women in Sport" (13:1), "Growing up with Hockey in Canada" (11:1), and "Modernization and the Game of Soccer in Camer- oun" (9:3--4). More common, however, are articles dis- cussing cross-cultural sport phenomenon, or some general aspect of sport 's impact upon a particular society. Exam- ples such as "Classification of Children's Outdoor Games" (9:2), "The Social Structure of High School Sport" (11:2), or "The Athletic Contest as a 'Tragic' Form of Ar t " (10:1) are illustrative of this genre.

While articles dealing with sports in the U.S., Germany, and the U.S.S.R. appear most frequently, this should be expected given the extent of athletic competi t ion and emphasis in these countries. In each issue, however, one will also find articles on subjects from Third World and smaller Western nations as well. Topics covered have been very broad, and have illuminated subjects that are currently in the forefront in sport, such as the relation- ship of sports and education in colleges and universities. For the United States, articles of relevance include a 1975 piece entitled "Strike One: A Survey of Public At- titudes Toward Baseball Strikes." Since we have just ex- perienced "strike three" are we now out? A 1977 article on "Professional Sports Team Ownership: Fun, Profit and Ideology of the Power Elite" sheds light upon the motives for team ownership among North Americans: profitabili ty was not the foremost reason for team ownership; it was secondary to motives such as the fellowship to be gained by associating with athletes, and the desire to control an enterprise that could provide a sense of domination through winning in a particular sport.

There is something in each issue to interest the fan, or the serious student of sport. The language used is generally laden with specific sociological terms, and the facility o f non-English-speaking authors with the language used for all articles is sometimes not the best: the result is a journal that requires some degree of expertise to fully appreciate. Sports Illustrated and the like are in no dang- er of losing readers to the Review, but the generally high level of treatment provided by each article will make this journal a valuable addition to the collections of any in- sti tution with advanced programs in recreation or physical education, and for those institutions with especially strong collections in the field of sociology.

Robert Wagner
