Part One of this book deals with theoretical considerations in the cross-national comparisons of language and reading instruction and achievement. Discussions of the scope and methodological problems of such research, bases for comparison, attitudinal and cultural variations, teacher preparation and organization variables, the varied linguistic environments, the future of comparative reading are presented in this section. Part Two consists of thirteen articles, each concerning the practice of reading and language instruction in a different country. Articles written by native educators are included on several western European countries as well as on Argentina, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, the United States, and the USSR. (TO)