After the 14th UNESCO General Conference approved a book development program, meetings were held in the developing world between 1966 and 1972 to find ways to promote book distribution and production. A result of these studies was this book, which includes: (1) discussion on book hunger, production, future trends, distribution, copyright, and reading habits; and (2) "Charter of the Book," a statement of policy beginning with "Everyone has the right to read," establishing the necessity for books, writing, the publishing and bookselling industry, libraries, documentation, book distribution, and ending with "Books serve international understanding and peaceful cooperation." (LS)