The teaching of reading is currently the subject of intense international interest. The lack of basic literacy skills is one of the clearest ways to indicate poor education. This new and critically acclaimed work is the first comparative study to examine why literacy rates are so poor in such a variety of different countries with widely different governments and policies. Looking at the broader picture, the authors build a convincing case that the problem of how to teach reading needs to be re-conceptualized as part of a deeply social phenomenon. The study addresses the critical issue of literacy crises around the world and questions their wider sociological and educational impact, and demonstrates how literacy crises in one country can actually stimulate and shape literacy crises elsewhere. Concepts of teacher professionalism, debates over curriculum content and the whole purpose of schooling are all considered in order to obtain a deeper understanding of specific national contexts and the political pressures involved. Rather than championing any 'one best' method of teaching reading, central questions are addressed and discussed, making this groundbreaking book essential reading for policymakers, teachers and students in literacy and education studies.