Because of the author's vast experience in education and his acute international awareness, this rich and important document is about far more than the title claims. It certainly gives the full story of the International Baccalaureate and the United World Colleges as experienced by the man who bestrode both enterprises from their inception until today, and is uniquely valuable on that account. The book is in many ways a personal record, as the author says; it is also a record of many other personalities in highly responsible positions during the 20 years and more of these institutions' development. Indeed, it simultaneously gives a revealing 'inside view' of tangled negotiations between famous educators, notable politicans and an impressive range of benefactors-not to speak of the ideals, courageous dedication and businesslike achievements of those who have championed the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the United World Colleges (UWC). While recounting their prowess and objectives in real-life detail, the author repeatedly illuminates several educational concerns of universal urgency and long-term importance: the intellectual problems of first securing international understanding of the need for a Europe-wide consensus in education as the foundation for curricular reorientation suited to a more co-operative world; then the extension of that originally European vision to North America, and the further expansion of the same (or similar) educational ideals to cultures of a different make-up; the legalistic difficulties of embodying such acceptance within the existing framework of institutions, examination hierarchies and career prerequisites of so many different countries (at the student or parental level as well as the level of officialdom); the managerial burden of finding, financing and maintaining so many sites, principals and teachers appropriate to the overall realisation of an efficient but humane world where ancient barriers and
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Apr 1, 1988
George H Thoms 
