This edition of well over 50,000 entries not only updates its predecessor but considerably increases the coverage of Latin America and Eastern Europe. I have been aided in this work by two colleagues at Glasgow University Library, Dr Lloyd Davies and Barbara MacMillan, and in general revision by Kate Richard. Close on 20% of the text has been altered. The equivalences, introduced into the last edition, linking acronyms in different languages for the same organization, have been extended. New to this edition is the cross-referencing between a defunct organization and its successor. Otherwise the policies adopted in previous editions have been retained: strictly local organizations are omitted, but the subject scope includes activities of all kinds; the country of origin of a national organization is given in brackets, unless it is the home country of the title language or can be readily deduced from the title itself. Acronyms of parent bodies of subsidiary organizations are also added in brackets. A select bibliography guides the reader to specialist works providing more detailed information. Particularly at a time of such widespread political change affecting organizational structures in so many countries, it is impossible to ensure complete up-to-date accuracy in a work of this kind. Readers are earnestly invited to inform me of any errors and omissions for attention in a later edition of this work. H. H. Bibliography Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations Dictionary. 13th edn. Gale Research Co. , Detroit, 1989.

This edition of over 60,000 entries, including more than 20% new or revised material, not only updates its predecessor but also continues the policy of extending coverage to areas dealt with only sparsely in previous editions. Special attention has been paid to the Far East, Australasia and Latin America in general, and to China in particular. The cross-referencing between a defunct organization and its successor, introduced into the last edition, has been extended. Otherwise the policies adopted in previous editions have been retained. All kinds of organizations have been included - international, national, governmental, individual, large or small - but strictly local organizations have been omitted. The subject scope includes activities of all kinds, in the fields of commerce and industry, education, law. politics, public administration, religion, recreation, medicine, science and technology. The country of origin of a national organization is given in brackets, unless it is the home country of the title language or can be deduced from the title itself. Acronyms of parent bodies of subsiduary organizations are also added in brackets. Equivalences are also used to link acronyms in different languages for the same organization.