The reference shelf

Presents more than twenty essays and articles on topics related to the year 1000 and the second millennium, the year 2000 and the third millennium, the planet's future, the economic outlook, and the society of the future.

A collection of articles that discuss the transformations and development of the computer industry and the possibilities that new technologies create for students, educators, and other professionals.

Examines the social, political, economic, and military differences between North and South Korea since the division of the peninsula following World War Two and studies human rights abuses and the nuclear threat imposed by the North, foreign relations with and between the two nations, and U.S. presence along the DMZ.

Twenty-four articles examine the world of Islam, covering the religion's beliefs and practices, law, treatment of women, politics, and relationship with the other Abrahamic religions, as well as the practice of Islam in the West.

Reprints thirty articles, book excerpts, speeches, and studies that examine issues related to life in modern-day China, discussing prospects for the liberalization of China's political system, domestic issues, human rights, the state of U.S.-China relations, and China's dealings with other countries.