The Book of Rule: How the World is Governed

By D.K. Publishing

Book Overview

Providing a clear, comprehensive and colorful guide to how the world is governed both in theory and practice, The Book of Rule examines the governments of all the world's nations -- from major powers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789493543
• ISBN13: 9780789493545
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: DK Publishing
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 1.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Another great reference

This like "Geography of the World" this is an excellent resource. It is indexed well and complete. Countries are categorized by government type rather than location therefore it is a very complete look at the governments of the world. I recommend this for home reference, or for teachers and students. I use it while teaching social studies.

A one of a kind book

This is an amazing source of facts and information on "how the world is governed". I haven't seen anything like it before. I was impressed with the details - from the history of the origins of rule to explaining international stock markets, government spending ratios, memberships in world organizations, international law practices or the fundamental differences within the styles of communism. Globalization, politics, history, social commentary on each country - it's all here. The maps, timelines, charts and diagrams of how the government works make this book an exciting read. Though I'm not sure why the nations in each system of rule are ordered by population rather than by name or why some countries received significantly more space than others, overall the book gets my thumbs up. Definitely a fantastic reference book and an interesting read!

A must-have for the politicially interested

I've always been very interested in politics, especially global politics and the study of different systems of governance. For someone like me, this book truly is a must-own. It's literally filled with information, yet unlike so many other world encyclopedias and reference guides this book is sorely about politics. As mentioned, every country on earth is profiled using a standard template along with a very clear flow chart diagram showing that country's system of government and how it works. The "important" countries, (Britain, Japan, US, Canada, Italy, China, Iran, Iraq, India, Russia and a few others) receive a more in-depth profile with several pages devoted to profiling their three branches of government in much greater detail. The information is all very contemporary. I'm writing this review in the summer of 2004, and I can say I was very impressed with how up-to-date this book is. The editors must have been adding new information right to the very last minute, because very few facts are noticeably outdated. It discusses the 2003 Iraq war and post-Saddam Iraq, as well as ongoing events in Afghanistan, Liberia, and other global hotspots. The info on some "current" heads of state is now dated, but such cases are the exception. Another plus is the book's design. This is truly a beautiful volume. The pages are big and glossy and there are tons of nice full color photos, including several double-page photo spreads of interesting cultural scenes. The photos are interesting and informative too, and not just fluff. For example, I had never seen a photo of a German court in action before I bought this book. I had no idea their judges wore red robes and hats. This is a book that uses its medium to the full extent. My only complaint with this book would be what some of the other reviewers have mentioned- namely, that it does not profile the smaller or less "famous" countries in a great enough depth. Though the information given for all countries is quite thorough, I found that in some cases the country profiles focused too much on the nation's history, and not enough on its current government. Regardless, the small faults are not enough to make me give this book anything less than a perfect score.

An exceptional guide evolves

Global politics is a topic typically covered in a dry scholarly tome - certain not one with the visual color and packed-in illustrative displays of The Book Of Rule: How The World Is Governed. It's this emphasize on contemporary visuals, from sidebars of information and maps to color photos which lends to the appeal of The Book Of Rule from its bright cover to its inviting pages packed with facts about global networks of power, from monarchies and republics to military regimes. An exceptional guide evolves.

Thorough and appealing

I just picked up this book and haven't had a full chance to look at all of the intricacies, but it appears to be very thorough and it is certainly very visually appealing. The book describes the types of governments in the world in six categories (Transitional, Single Party, Democratic, Military, Theocratic, and Monarchal). It includes profiles on every country in the world and devotes more pages to some than others. As a teacher, I appreciate the concise descriptions of American and other major world governments. My students will be able to easily determine major issues in each country as well as gain a historical context for the rule that exists today. This is a goldmine for world history research - a great starting point to help students know where to go next when researching a particular country or government.My only question before using it in the classroom is whether I'll let students use it freely :) It looks so nice, I'd hate to have pages ripped.