Description

The editors of this volume are to be complimented on the comprehensive nature and quality of the studies they include. The impressive range of contributors is testimony in itself to the standard of scholarship on show, with some of the leading names in the field featuring prominently. There is also a notably international array of contributors, something crucial to but often absent from such volumes which claim comprehensive coverage and a comparative approach. In choosing such an array, the editors have managed to negotiate the potential pitfalls surrounding such comparative works, which perversely often fail to represent a truly broad range of approaches and cultural diversities. The volume ends with a full listing of the content of all five volumes in the subseries. The range of material covered is impressive and, even at a glance, it is clear what a mammoth undertaking this has been. The current volume is valuable in itself but, seen in the context of the entire subseries, it becomes clear that the editors have created an invaluable critical resource which would greatly enhance any scholarly library.