Book Reviews 601 of its individual parts. The individual sections and chapters, however, are also of considerable merit albeit on the more local level addressed in each. Any of the components, especially if supplemented by the introduction and conclusion, would be excellent reading for both stu- dents and professionals.—Laurie N. Taylor, University of Florida. The 2009 Annual Register: World Events. Ed. D.S. Lewis. Bethesda, Md.: Pro- Quest, 2009. 679p. $240 (ISBN 978-1- 60030-828-4). First founded in 1758 by Irish states- man and philosopher Edmund Burke, The Annual Register celebrates its 250th anniversary in September 2009. Now edited by D.S. Lewis, eighty-nine lead- ing historians, journalists, and academics have contributed to this 250th edition. Each contributor analyzes and interprets the most important events through the world in 2008. Section one, “The Annual Register,” begins with a personal history of the Annual Register written by M.R.D. Foot, former professor of modern history at Manchester University and the Royal Historical Society’s representative on the advisory board for The Annual Register. Foot’s essay looks at the history of The Annual Register and the publication’s importance today. Following the Foot piece is “The Annual Register 300th Edition: A Personal Future” by Richard O’Brien, member of The Annual Register advisory board and partner of Outsights. “Look[ing] at the emerging trends of 2008 to suggest potential futures” about how the world and The Annual Register might be in the year 2059, O’Brien highlights the Poles and Siberia, disappearing spaces like coastal lands and islands, outer space, innerspace such as scientific discoveries, neuroscience, religion, and medicine, and virtual space. Section one concludes with “2008: The Year in Review.” Sections two through ten, the bulk of the volume, are devoted to Western and Southern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, Equato- rial Africa, Central and Southern Africa, South Asia and Indian Ocean, Southeast and East Asia, and Australasia and the Pa- cific. Statistics are given for each country including the capital, area, population, of- ficial languages, political system, head of state, ruling parties, head of government, currency, main IGO memberships, GNI per capita. Each essay examines politics, foreign affairs, economy, elections, and topics specific to certain countries such as drugs, terrorism, and civil conflict and corruption and human rights develop- ments, security. Section eleven discusses international organizations including the United Na- tions and its agencies; defense organiza- tions (North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Partnership for Peace); economic organizations (International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organi- zation, and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development); other world organizations (the Commonwealth, International Organization of Franco- phonie, Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77, and Organization of the Islamic Conference); European organizations (European Union, Council of Europe, Or- ganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and European Bank for Recon- struction and Development); other Euro- pean organizations (European Free Trade Association, Visegrad Group, Nordic Council, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Central European Free Trade Agree- ment, Central European Initiative, and Organization of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation); American, Arab, African, Eurasian, and Asia-Pacific Organiza- tions (Organization of American States, Rio Group, Southern Common Market, Andean Community of Nations, Carib- bean Community and Common Market, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, League of Arab States, Gulf Co-operation Council, African Union, Southern African Development Community, Shanghai Co- operation Organization, Commonwealth 602 College & Research Libraries November 2009 of Independent States, Collective Security Treaty Organization, Eurasian Economic Community, Association of South-East Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Co- operation, Pacific Islands Forum, Asian Development Bank, and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation). The international economy comprises section twelve. Section thirteen examines “The Sciences” through scientific, indus- trial, and medical research, information technology, and the environment. Section fourteen looks at the law in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. The religions of Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism comprise section fifteen, while the next section discusses the arts. Contributors discuss opera, music, ballet and dance, theatre, cinema, television and radio, visual arts, architecture, and literature. Section seventeen looks at sport through essays on the Olympic games, football, cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, athlet- ics, motor sport, boxing, and horse racing. Section eighteen is composed of documents and reference. Some of the documents include U.S. President Barack Obama’s victory speech, U.S. Treasury Secretary’s statement on the proposed banking system bailout, Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, the Kosovo Declaration of Independence, and the jury’s verdict in the coroner’s inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed. Section nineteen, “Obituary,” provides brief biographies of world figures who died in 2008. Section twenty includes the Chronicle of Principal Events in 2008 as well as Major World Events 1758--2008 from The Annual Register archive. The An- nual Register includes a list of contributors, abbreviations and acronyms, and extracts from past volumes as well as eleven color photographs, an index, maps, and tables. With key developments and events from the year, The 2009 Annual Register: World Events will be an important addi- tion to any reference collection. Public and undergraduate libraries will especially want this volume. The only limitations are its price and the lack of references for further research.—Nicole Mitchell, Univer- sity of Alabama at Birmingham.