Same old stuff

This book The World: a Third World Guide 1994/5 by Roberto Remo Bissio (Oxfam, £24.95, ISBN 0 85598 291 8), claims to be “the alternative almanac for a changing planet” – our global village seen through the eyes of Third Worlders. Disappointing, I hear no new voices and gain no fresh insights from this vast tome. Country profiles are of limited use, and the analytical features are mostly lightweight. The querulous tone and predictable prejudices of several are a turn-off.