Examines the importance of textbooks for learning, especially in developing countries which lack other educational resources. Emphasizes the complex network of educational forces that go into the development, production, and distribution of textbooks in an international context. (BSR)

Describes the process of textbook development and production. Notes that textbook production has become a multinational business, and that textbooks used in developing nations are frequently produced elsewhere and may reflect foreign values. Emphasizes that major academic systems located in industrialized nations dominate research on education and…

Textbooks are an integral part of the educational process and are especially important in the Third World. However, the process of textbook development is particularly difficult in these regions because of problems associated with multinational publishing companies, copyright law, and difficulties in developing indigenous publishing industries in…