Abstract: This volume, published in Germany with the support of the European Commission, is the product of a collaboration (Socrates and later Erasmus funded) which brings together nine contributors from seven countries.The project was eventually called "Building Bridges" and the book begins with a commentary on a Rembrandt painting of a bridge, which forms the book cover.The theme is broad-human rights and values education as these relate to the school curriculum and textbooks.Each writer interprets this differently, some not achieving a balanced focus.Overall, the contributions consist of a collection of progress reports: many had not completed everything they set out to do.The English style throughout is patchy but acceptable: for example the series' strap-line is "to think Europe through values looking at Human Rights".The underlying philosophy is that issues of human values, rights and responsibilities should be at the centre of education, resulting in a Europe unified through a shared understanding of human rights and values.The book is not, however, this coherent.Each chapter is drawn from a national contribution to the project.Some focus on human rights, some on values and some on the European dimension.The result is poorly focused, confused still further by an undefended identification of the main themes with "citizenship education".Nevertheless, these project reports do provide a contribution to European debate.In an opening discussion of values education, Pouwels focuses on identity in a context of "post-modern" instability of ideology and the disorientation stemming from the weakening of frames of reference such as provided by religion, politics and personal idealism.The drive for personal autonomy means that people are making their own choices and need guidance.Autonomy without boundaries produces "monsters of children".In a collective identity crisis, enhanced personal autonomy can mean a loss of identity and roots.This implies that values education has to address issues of nationality, freedom, democracy, human rights and identity within a European and international perspective.This raises interesting issues.Personal autonomy without any respect for other people, of course, produces self-centredness.That may be sharpened by competitive climates which values high achievement (and conversely criticises low achievement, disadvantaging some in the school community); but education takes place within community-the school, the family, the locality, the nation.Socialisation in these communities gives boundaries, as pupils relate to each other and learn what is and what is not acceptable.Nationhood raises interesting questions: it confers a sense of identity with rituals, badges/flags and allegiances, and a national "story" (history) about how the nation has fared in the past.This package has implicit values.However, the sense of nationhood might define who is to be respected or accepted, and who is not.That is, nationhood implies insularity and narrow-mindedness.Many times in history it has also stimulated intolerance, prejudice and aggression to those outside (and also outsiders within the nation).This has been seen at its most extreme and grotesque in "ethnic cleansing", but exists everywhere as racism or national prejudice.