An essential resource for those interested in Asia. Recognized as the leading publication in its field. It features articles on the history, arts, social sciences, and contemporary issues of East, South, and Southeast Asia, as well as a large book review section.

Here is one of the first books to address the problems of serials as they relate to the user, the reference librarian, and the library itself. Opening a crucial dialogue, serials librarians and reference librarians explore ways in which they can work together to make serials more accessible to the user. With this vital new book, public services librarians will gain a better understanding of the unique nature of serials, especially concerning their acquisition and cataloguing, and technical services librarians will gain a clearer view of the problems involved in interpreting the record for the user. Serials and Reference Services provides a wealth of information that will help the cataloguer who must create a record out of a dizzying change of titles, volumes, and frequency; the reference librarian who must interpret the record for the user; the bibliographer who must select titles; the manager who will be viewing the new formats for serials; and the administrator who needs an overview in order to pull disparate services together into a functioning whole. Automation is also explored and finally, a look at the core collection--newspapers, comic books, and poetry magazines--gives an eclectic ending to the volume. Tillie Krieger, Peter Hernon, David C. Heisser, David C. Taylor, and Laura Peritore are among the well-known contributors to the book.

Yu's essays juxtapose Chinese and Western texts - Cratylus next to Xunzi,for example - and discuss their relationship to language and subjects, such as liberal Greek education against general education in China. He compares a specific Western text and religion to a specific Chinese text and religion. He considers the Divina Commedia in the context of Catholic theology alongside The Journey to the West as it relates to Chinese syncretism, united by the theme of pilgrimage. Yet Yu's focus isn't entirely tied to the classics. He also considers the struggle for human rights in China and how this topic relates to ancient Chinese social thought and modern notions of rights in the West.

A welcome addition to any reading list for those interested in contemporary Japanese society. - Roger Goodman, Nissan Professor of Modern Japanese Society, University of Oxford "I know no better book for an accessible and up-to-date introduction to this complex subject than The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japan Studies." - Hiroko Takeda, Associate Professor, Organization for Global Japanese Studies, University of Tokyo "Pioneering and nuanced in analysis, yet highly accessible and engaging in style." - Yoshio Sugimoto, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University The SAGE Handbook of Modern Japanese Studies includes outstanding contributions from a diverse group of leading academics from across the globe. This volume is designed to serve as a major interdisciplinary reference work and a seminal text, both rigorous and accessible, to assist students and scholars in understanding one of the major nations of the world. James D. Babb is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University.