NORWAY

Another volume in the publisher's ""Nations of the Modern World"" series, most of which are written by British academics, this one being no exception -- Popperwell's a lecturer in Norwegian at Cambridge University. The tone is authoritative and completely ponderous, much like that of Statesman's Year-Book, with emphasis on the encyclopedic facts of 19th and 20th century industrial, governmental, political, and social developments. In addition, the latter half of the book -- certainly the most vital sections -- deals with literary, linguistic, and general cultural trends.