Republic of Georgia (Modern World Nations)

Grade 8-10-As in most country studies, this book includes chapters on physical and cultural geography, as well as on the history, government, and economy. A concluding chapter speculates on the future of Georgia. The authors are geographers and their perspective does distinguish this title from others on the subject. They open with a thoughtful discussion of whether Georgia is in Asia or Europe, underline the complexities of its culture, and explain the artificiality of world divisions. However, while some geographic terms are explained, others, such as "micro-scale zones" and "trending barrier," are not. The book's main problem, however, is that it is poorly written and includes typographical errors. Students should not have to read that caves "have been use [sic] to store wine." There are only two maps, neither of which indicates the location of the autonomous regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia described in the book, nor do they show the seaport of Supsa, important because it is at the end of the new oil pipeline. Another anomaly is that a recipe begins in the metric system and then switches to cups and tablespoons. Michael Spilling's Georgia (Benchmark, 1997), while not error-free, is better written, more informative, and has more and much-sharper-focused, full-color photos.
Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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