"To help countries establish systems that can ensure reliable provision of textbooks has been an important element of the World Bank's support for education development in Africa over the last two decades. Other development agencies, and African governments, have made similar investments. However, despite more than a quarter century of effort and massive investment many African students still lack adequate access to textbooks; or where they have been produced they are not always available in sufficient numbers. The main purpose of this comprehensive report is to explore why this is so, and to identify the challenges that need to be overcome to ensure that every student has adequate access to high quality textbooks. The report is based on a desk review of 89 Bank-financed education projects with textbooks components, and under implementation during the period 1985-2000 in 40 sub-Saharan African countries. It identifies problems and good practices at all stages of textbook provision, from authorship to classroom use, looks at World Bank policies and procedures that were modified during the review period, and examines progress that has been made during the period under review in key areas such as manuscript development, editing, production, distribution, and procurement. The report concludes with a section on the lessons learned for the period, and a series of recommendations how to improve the quality of textbooks, and to improve equity of access for all to good primary education." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1887)