[In The Human Rights Book] Meltzer seeks to determine the condition of human rights since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. He offers a brief history of the human rights movement, a variety of examples of human rights violations worldwide, and a useful bibliography and appendix of related documents. For these reasons alone, his book is valuable. Further, while one might question anyone's ability to survey this topic in a single volume, Meltzer has provided a concise and clear outline of an issue so broad and complex that many find it overwhelming. The greatest value of the book may be as an entry point for more concentrated study. Such tools are rare in this field.

Keith B. Cooper, in his review of "The Human Rights Book," in Library Journal (reprinted from Library Journal, December 15, 1979; published by R. R. Bowker Co. (a Xerox company); copyright...