The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: A Handbook by G. SchöpflinReview by: H. HanakThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 50, No. 119 (Apr., 1972), p. 329Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4206563 .

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REVIEWS 329

Pil'nyak, B. Byl'ye. Reprint of Reval edition, 1922. Foreword by Adelheid Stalheim. Slavische Propylaen, no. 76. Wilhelm Fink Verlag, Munich, 1970. x+ 134 pp.

This is a welcome reprint of Pil'nyak's first collection of stories. Seven of the eleven are not easily available from other sources. Unfortunately, the photo- reproduction has reduced both the page and the print, making the book rather tiresome to read. Toronto R. D. B. Thomson

Schopflin, G. (ed.). The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe: a Handbook.

Anthony Blond, London, 1970. 614 pp.

George Schopflin has done an extremely valuable service to students of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by the editorial work that he has put into this handbook. All the articles in it are written by experts in their field and are excellent studies of their subjects. Equally important are the statistics, the basic information and the maps provided. One must not minimise the difficulties and the very hard work put in by the editor, but his selection of subjects to be treated is idiosyncratic; indeed, it betrays little planning but much haphazard selection. Thus, there are ten chapters on economic problems, but none on Comecon, on

industry, on foreign trade or on labour relations. These subjects are, of

course, treated, but in a work of reference separate chapters should be de? voted to them. The same applies to the sections dealing with politics. It is

shattering to discover that there are no separate chapters, or even sections, dealing with the Communist Parties of the Soviet Union and of the Eastern European countries. There is not even a section dealing with

government in the Soviet Union and indeed the space devoted to Soviet matters is very much less than the space devoted to East European matters. It would be a work of supererogation to continue cataloguing the subjects not included in a work which is described as 'a comprehensive and authori? tative reference work, indispensable for anyone concerned with the Communist world'. London H. Hanak

Medlin, W. K., Cave, W. M., and Carpenter, I. Education and development in Central Asia. Brill, Leiden, 1971. xix+ 285 pp. Plates. Map. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

One takes up this book with a sense of pleasurable anticipation. This is reinforced by a reading of the preface. The three authors, it seems, were assisted by seven graduate students. An impressive number of well-known authorities offered 'scholarly assistance and advice' (including 'a number

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