Book reviews 287

be utilized, while maintaining confidentiality, challenging policy-makers to respond.

Four case studies at different spatial scales describe the devastating impacts of this disease throughout the world, and how societies’ actions and responses have helped to shape, and some- times fuel, its spread. The Thai example assesses the potential severity of the epidemic and the problems of control, while the computer maps generated for the USA show the spread of AIDS and help identify potential causal factors. The role of the government and other officials is criticized, especially the lack of timely geographical epi- demiological analyses and spatial forecasting models. The innovative work of R. Wallace, re- searching the factors underlying the spread of HIV in the Bronx, forms a particularly appropriate case study, with its chilling observations into the way transmission was intensified by discrimination and the actions of local authorities.

Mathematical models of this epidemic receive many justifiable criticisms, but the importance of trying to understand how, why and where this epidemic spreads means that we must try to produce forecasts. Ultimately, the aim of all modelling must be to try to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, and although the practical prevention guidelines that can be drawn from much of the non-spatial forecasting are debatable, other models can have some practical uses and benefits. The completeness of this chapter would have been improved if positive, useful examples of modelling had been given greater coverage. Finally, this book considers the medical side-effects of HIV immuno-suppression on the rest of the population, increasing the prevalence of other infectious diseases, which raises difficult ethical questions.

This fascinating book contains many intriguing (but often disturbing) facts and should attract a wide readership. However, the non-academic style of writing means that it is necessary to search for references and citations in a final, separate chapter, as they are not placed in the body of the text. The aspects of the pandemic discussed in this book needed to be exposed, and Peter Gould has done it brilliantly, clearly identifying the epidemic as a socially embedded phenomenon.

Julia Williams Department of Geography, University of Leeds

out of place to entitle the chapter on industry ‘The French Industrial Miracle’.

In its favour the book is well written and generally offers a balanced view of the various issues that are presented. It is usefully cross- referenced and contains a number of interesting case studies. The author also breaks new ground by considering problems such as natural and induced hazards. Conversely she is less than convincing in her claims to provide a link between the country’s human and physical geography and to always emphasize ‘the individuality of French culture and identity’. Indeed, herein lies the fundamental shortcoming of this book: it promises much but ultimately fails to match this expecta- tion.

John Tuppen Groupe ESC Lyon

Gould, P. R. The slow plague: a geography of the AIDS pandemic. Cambridge, MA, and Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers, 1993. 228 pp. f35 hardback; f12.99 paperback.

The absence of a strong geographical perspective into HIV and AIDS has hampered educational efforts, attempts to raise public awareness, our understanding of how, why and where HIV has spread throughout the globe, and how this spread might be controlled. These omissions are chal- lenged by this accessible and readable book, which offers many novel and thought-provoking (if sometimes contentious) insights.

The virology of HIV is clearly explained and its origins discussed. The complex, intertwined effects of this pandemic continue to intensify, but the potential impacts are summarized and humanized. Throughout this book, personal views and impli- cations of this pandemic are emphasized, bringing out the relevance of the subject to the reader. Although awareness of the processes of spatial HIV diffusion, both down the urban hierarchy and to adjacent locations, has produced effective educational materials, bureaucratic responses have often prevented the disclosure of detailed spatial information about its spread. The ‘geo- graphy of confidentiality’ suggests how the geographical value of epidemiological data may