The Order of Learning: Essays on the Contemporary University, by Edward Shils. (Edited and with an introduction by Philip G. Altbach). New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1997. 292 pp. $34.95 (cloth) ISBN 1-56000-298-0. Address: Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA.

Edward Shils--who died in 1995--was a major figure in the history of sociology, the editor of Minerva, and a prolific writer on higher education issues. This volume features many of his major writings. Shils was a strong defender of the traditional ideal of the research university. An introductory essay places Shils' life and work in perspective.

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Student Politics in America: A Historical Analysis by Philip G. Altbach. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1997. 277 pp. $24.95 (paperback) ISBN 1-560000-944-6. Address: Transaction Publishers, Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ 08903, USA.

The first book to chronicle the entire scope of American student political activism historically, dealing not only with the eras of significant activism but with quieter periods as well. In a new introduction, Altbach discusses brings the history of activism to the present time.

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The International Academic Profession: Portraits of 14 Countries, edited by Philip G. Altbach. Princeton, N,J.: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1996. 762 pp. $20 (paperback) Address: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104, USA

This volume--sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching--reports on the first international study of the academic profession ever undertaken. Chapters concerning 14 countries on all continents except Africa are included. Among the countries are the United States, Germany, England, the Netherlands, Israel, Sweden, Hong Kong, Australia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile.

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Higher Education Research at the Turn of the New Century: Structures, Issues and Trends, edited by Jan Sadlak and Philip G. Altbach. New York and Paris: Garland Publishing and UNESCO, 1997. 371 pp. $75 (cloth) ISBN 0-8153-2505-3. Address: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1000A Sherman Ave., Hamden, CT, USA.

A compilation of essays dealing with the state of higher education research in twelve key parts of the world, this volume sheds analytical light on trends and directions in higher education research. Key researchers are among the authors of these essays. The book is co-sponsored with the the Division of Higher Education at UNESCO, Paris.