This is the fourth edition of Kurian's highly regarded and widely used research tool, cited previously by the American Library Association as the Outstanding Reference of the Year. The Fitzroy Dearborn Book of World Rankings, 4th edition is designed as an international scorecard that compares and ranks more than 190 nations of the world according to their performance in more than 300 key areas. Sections covered include Geography & Climate, Vital Statistics, Population Dynamics, Race & Religion, Media, and many more. More than 50,000 variables measure national achievement by using no fewer than 300 specific performance yardsticks, making this one of the most comprehensive databases ever attempted in the field of international affairs. Outstanding Reference Source - American Library Association

The Statistical Yearbook is an annual compilation of a wide range of international economic, social and environmental statistics on over 200 countries and areas, compiled from sources including UN agencies and other international, national and specialized organizations. The 58th edition contains data available to the Statistics Division as of 31 December 2014 and presents them in 42 tables on topics such as: agriculture, forestry and fishing; communication; development assistance; education; energy; environment; finance; gender; international merchandise trade; international tourism; labour force; manufacturing; national accounts; population; prices; and science and technology. The number of years of data shown in the tables varies from one to ten, with most tables covering the period up to 2012 or 2013. Accompanying the tables are technical notes providing brief descriptions of major statistical concepts, definitions and classifications.

At the turn of the last century, as industrialists and workers made Chicago the hardworking City of Big Shoulders celebrated by Carl Sandburg, Chicago women articulated an alternative City of Homes in which the welfare of residents would be the municipal government's principal purpose. Seeing With Their Hearts traces the formation of this vision from the relief efforts following the Chicago fire of 1871 through the many political battles of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. In the process, it presses a new understanding of the roles of women in public life and writes a new history of urban America. Heeding the call of activist Louise de Koven Bowen to become third-class passengers on the train of life, thousands of women "put their shoulders to the wheel and their whole hearts into the work" of fighting for better education, worker protections, clean air and water, building safety, health care, and women's suffrage. Though several well-known activists appeared frequently in these initiatives, Maureen Flanagan offers compelling evidence that women established a broad and durable solidarity that spanned differences of race, class, and political experience. She also shows that these women--emphasizing their common identity as women seeking a city amenable to the needs of women, children, families, and homes--pursued a vision and goals distinct from the reform agenda of Progressive male activists. They fought hard and sometimes successfully in a variety of public places and sites of power, winning victories from increased political clout and prenatal care to municipal garbage collection and pasteurized milk. While telling the fascinating and in some cases previously untold stories of women activists during Chicago's formative period, this book fundamentally recasts urban social and political history.