Should you wish to know the electrical power capacity of Romania in 1998, the number of airports in the Republic of Kiribati (a country comprising three groups of coral atolls and one isolated volcanic island in the Central Pacific Ocean), the number of drive‐in cinemas in Trinidad & Tobago, or the constitution and government of Afghanistan, then look no further than the latest edition of this classic reference work. Published annually since 1864, The Statesman’s Yearbook has been edited since 1997 by Barry Turner, who is the seventh editor in its 138‐year history. He has a PhD in Political History and has been a full‐time writer for 25 years. He has worked as a journalist and broadcaster in the field of politics, biography, travel and education and is the author of over 20 books including the best‐selling A Place in the Country, which became a television series, … And the Policeman Smiled, the story of 10,000 refugee children who escaped to Britain just before the war, and (co‐authored) When Daddy Came Home ‐ How Family Life Changed Forever in 1945. Mr Turner is also a regular contributor to The Times as a book reviewer and serialiser, and edits both the annual Writer’s Handbook and SYB Factbooks.
So what is new in recent editions of this work that make it worth spending £60 on the 2002 volume? The appointment of the new editor brought enhancements to the 1998‐1999 edition and these have been continued since then. Internet usage figures are now included and especially commissioned essays from major political and academic figures supplement country entries in areas of major upheaval and change. A fold‐out colour section provides a political world map and flags for the 191 countries of the world. However, publishing in this form in a world in which developments occur increasingly rapidly, means that a significant proportion of the facts will be out‐of‐date as soon as they are written down. A small “Additional addenda” slip is included, but this cannot hope to cope with such changes as will have occurred following the disastrous terrorist attacks on Washington and New York on 11 September 2001. These will have to wait for the 2003 edition.
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