From Library Journal
This book describes 105 of "the world's largest and most important commercial and political centers" and ranks them on the basis of 82 factors affecting quality of life. Part I consists of a dry rendition of statistics interspersed with comments on trends and explanations of social phenomena. Part II provides rankings in 82 tables. To their credit, the authors carefully define and explain their criteria, and seemingly overcome the bedevilments of unstandardized data gleaned from statistical yearbooks, embassies, and site visits. Although this compilation serves as a handy source, it may not be meaningful to rank cities located in such diverse cultures. The large gaps in data from developing nations also make comparative analysis problematic. For most purposes, those libraries with Margaret W. Young's Cities of the World (Gale, 1983) have a more practical guide. Stanley P. Hodge, Ball State Univ. Libs., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
