ABSTRACT
It is always a thankless job to review anthologies. With very few exceptions, the whole is invariably less than the sum of its parts, the quality of the contributions uneven to say the least, and the overall theme never compellingly developed. In short, edited volumes more often than not convey the characteristics of telephone books: they are useful documents, to be sure, they contain fascinating information if one knows how and where to look for it, but one most certainly would not want to rely on them for a systematic exposé and insightful analysis of a problem. These ills are most definitely compounded by any anthology’s sheer length and weight which, in the case of the present volume’s 776 pages and miscellany of topics, is beyond excessive.
