Review: According to the information on the back cover, the last edition was rated highly by this reviewer! It's always a bit daunting to see this and also, one realises that there's the responsibility to see if the new edition lives up to the old promise. For those with the old edition the good news is that changes are largely statistical with a few new areas (notably migration and America). Those new to this edition should start below.

Population is a key subject with more than its fair share of data. Whilst such wealth of information is good it comes with the problem of trying to make some sense out of the data. Given that population is also a highly political subject it follows that there's also a need to chart some reasonable course through the debate. Rather than tackle all areas of population change, this text looks at one area - world population change - but chooses to do so in a multi-disciplinary way. The result is a brief but thorough overview. We start with a basic description of key demographic ideas. This goes from r and k strategies we share with all organisms through to human demographic changes and the space needed to carry them out. As such this chapter sets the scene for subsequent discussions. Chapter two analyses the major changes in population numbers - Neolithic, Industrial Revolution and current population "booms" and assesses the impact that they have had. This shows population changes as affected by environmental causes. Population also has a balance between resources and numbers. There are two opposing views here depending on whether resources drive population or the opposite. The problem ,as chapter three makes clear, is that neither has the upper hand and so this area, of great concern, remains a mystery. Up to this point, population is seem as being constrained by environmental or resource factors. Chapter four looks at a basic idea of human demography - the demographic transition theory - and highlights the changes it causes. The idea is that this "theory" (probably more accurately a hypothesis!) is something seen in all nations but at different times. This does suggest that even current high population nations will eventually reduce their growth rate. This is very much a case for the richer countries. Chapter fives turns the spotlight onto poorer countries. It follows much the same ground as in the previous chapter but gives more weight to country examples e.g. India and China. A final chapter looks at the some of the issues that are/may arise in global demographics. Here, the latest population projections are subjected to scrutiny. For those wanting more, there is a series of appendices containing detailed notes and references.

In the intervening years between editions this book has lost none of its impact. It is still a significant comment on contemporary demographic thought. It highlights key debates and issues rather than bury them. There's a use of examples, many not commonly used, that give a freshness to the debate and illustrate that arguments can be drawn from new material. It does lose some depth but then this is an overview and what it loses is more than made up by the debate it seeks to engender. Overall, this is still a significant contribution to the debate which should be seen as a must-buy for those wanting a more sophisticated level of debate in contemporary demographics.