Book reviews in this article: A Guide to Local Environmental Auditing by Hugh Barton and Noel Bruder Soils: a New Global View by T R Paton, G S Humphreys and P B Mitchell Health and societies: changing perspectives by Sarah Curtis and Ann Taket The global commons: a regime analysis by John Vogler New Uncertainty Concepts in Hydrology and Water Resources by Zbigniew W Kundzewicz Ethnicity and development: geographical perspectives edited by Denis Dwyer and David Drakakis‐Smith An enlarged Europe: regions in competition? edited by Sally Hardy, Mark Hart, Louis Albrechts and Anastasios Katos From the margins to the centre: cultural production and consumption in the post‐industrial city edited by Justin O'Connor and Derek Wynne Plans, Pragmatism and People: the legacy of Soviet planning for today's cities by R Anthony French Politics, Geography and ‘Political Geography’: A Critical Perspective by Joe Painter GIS and Organisations: How effective are GIS in practice? by Heather Campbell and Ian Masser Biology of Freshwater Pollution by C F Mason