Under The Microscope

FACTS NEW ZEALAND,
Department of Statistics and Daphne Brasell Associates, 1992; 222 pages; $19.95
NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL 1992 YEARBOOK, Department of Statistics, 1992; 484 pages; $59.95

It's a good time at the moment for fact freaks, with the publication of two books packed with all the facts and figures one could desire. Facts New Zealand is a nice wee paperback, with informative diagrams and good basic coverage. Be warned that it may prompt more questions than it answers, partially because of the brevity of information imposed by the concise format.

Why do more women than men die of cancer? Why is "dishonesty" six times more common as a reported crime than crimes of property or violence, and what does "dishonesty" mean in this context?

You might find some of the answers in the 1992 Yearbook. In 23 sections it covers everything from leisure to public sector finance. It forms a good introduction to what makes this country tick. Each chapter has a useful postscript directing the inquisitive to other reading and further sources of information.

I'm surprised that the universities don't get more than a single word mention in the science and technology section, and then as social science institutions. A quick flick to the Education section shows a 10% drop in science degrees over the last 30 years, so maybe that shouldn't be too surprising.

The careful design and interesting marginal snippets makes this tome far more approachable than one might at first think, and you'd do well to have it in your reference library.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM