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such involvement. But alongside this we have the map ‘Holy Natural’ (pp 84–85), which demonstrates that many of the world’s most significant national parks, wilderness areas and protected environments are also sacred sites, and that this sacredness has helped protect them for centuries, if not millennia. Undertaking a task such as this has been tough, but we have been guided by one of the world’s leading religious statisticians, Dr David B Barrett, whose encyclopedic knowledge and vast database have been invaluable, as have his insights into the significance of much of the data. We have called upon the services of many researchers, from bodies as diverse as, for example, INFORM, the World Bank, WWF and specialists in religious education around the world, and owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who have given so much of their time and knowledge to make this as good a production as possible. Any inadequacies are the responsibility solely of the authors. In the years since the first edition the internet has arisen – itself a tool of considerable significance to the workings of religion. For the first edition, we had to rely on hunting down books and articles. For this edition we have had to ensure that the thousands of fascinating websites we have visited had some authority – and alongside printed reference works we have also used these internet resources. We believe that, as the ‘Future’ map (pp 78–79) indicates, the role of religion will continue to grow and to have increased influence upon other aspects of society. Some will view this with alarm, others with a sense of success. From our perspective, we can but note that the religions are the world’s oldest human institutions. They have lasted for millennia because they understand what it is to be human and they know how to help us through the stages of life. Without them our world is a duller, greyer and less joyful place for many. With them we encounter not just the grace of religion but also at times the curse of religion. Religion is not going to wither and die. It is up to us to ensure that it contributes to a wider, pluralistic society rather than a narrower one. And this is a challenge that most religions welcome and embrace. Joanne O’Brien Martin Palmer