Criminology: A Global Perspective

'Criminology - A Global Perspective' delivers exactly what its title promises. Although it is written and published in the United States, the authors recognise that crime is not confined to the USA and they provide a wealth of data drawn from Europe and, where it is available, from elsewhere in the world. Most unusually, for an entry-level text, the book and its data are fully referenced. This is cleverly achieved though the use of a website ([...]) which is said to be updated as any errors are discovered. The tables are well presented and the text is leavened, but not overburdened, with relevant illustrations. The book is compact in size, well laid out and comprehensively indexed. Although it was published in 2000, it does not appear dated. However, five years is a long time in the life of a textbook, so maybe a new edition is due. Provided the mixture remains the same, that book should be good for at least the next five years.

Lee Ellis and Anthony Walsh have accomplished what no one else in the field of criminology have done -- they have written an informative and comprehensive text that has global appeal. Most texts in this field are discipline-specific and do not include a thorough review of various other perspectives. In fact, many books that attempt to cover materials that are not in the authors disciplines often include inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information. This book is not biased in its approach and integrates various behavioral sciences in an attempt to present a broad range of theories, findings, methods and interpretations. As a result, the reader can come to his or her own conclusions which are well informed and critical. In addition, the authors provide a wealth of resources in the form of tables, figures and references from a vast literature for the student or scholar to further investigate various substantive areas that are covered. In sum, the depth with which criminological topics are addressed is impressive, and should prove to be an invaluable resource for all interested in this field.