Blackwell Publishing Donates Textbooks to Ethiopian Medical Schools

[VFoley@bos.blackwellpublishing.com]

[NOTE:  Re-sending because of format error last night]

Boston, MA - September 21, 2005 - Blackwell Publishing, the world's
leading society publisher, announced today that it will donate medical
student text books to all five medical schools in Ethiopia. This donation
will aid Book Link, a project aimed at supplying books to Ethiopian
schools, in furthering the education of Ethiopia's future doctors and
nurses.

Blackwell is donating key textbooks such as Axford's Medicine and
Cuschieri's Surgery as well as the renowned Lecture Notes and At a Glance
series, which will provide a solid foundation across the whole medical
curriculum in Ethiopia. In the past, undergraduate textbooks have not been
readily available to medical students in Ethiopia. Some students have had
to rely on the photocopied notes of their teachers supplemented by
postgraduate books.

The Honorable Gennet Zewide, Minister of Education of Ethiopia said, "It
is the first time that we will have a comprehensive collection of books
for undergraduate teaching throughout our five medical schools. It comes
at a particularly appropriate time as we are considering major changes in
modernizing our medical curriculum. I am very grateful to Blackwell for
this important donation which will allow our students' access to some of
the best textbooks available."

Through this donation, Ethiopian medical schools will receive
approximately 1,500 books at a retail value of approximately US$55,000.

Rene Olivieri, CEO of Blackwell Publishing, said, "We are pleased to
partner with Book Link on this project. Book Link aligns well with our
mission to support the advancement of knowledge and learning and it is our
hope that these books will help grow the medical curriculum in Ethiopia."

Professor Beard, co-founder of BookLink, and Professor MacDermot, head of
Undergraduate Studies at Imperial College Medical School, had been invited
by the Ethiopian Minister of Education to recommend a revision and
modernization of the medical curriculum.

"Blackwell Publishing's donation has the potential to revolutionize the
medical education system in Ethiopia. As Ethiopia continues to confront
diseases, such as malaria, AIDS, and tuberculosis, it is imperative that
their medical students have high-quality resources and education to
prepare for these challenges" said Professor Richard Beard.

Blackwell Publishing has also offered access to their collection of
journals to institutions in developing countries for free or at a greatly
reduced price.  Through HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access to Research
Initiative), a program of the World Health Organization of the United
Nations, and AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture),
Blackwell has helped to ensure that students, researchers and policy
makers in the most resource-scarce nations have access to the latest
leading peer-reviewed research in science, medicine and the social
sciences.

About Blackwell Publishing

Blackwell Publishing is the world's leading society publisher, partnering
with more than 600 academic and professional societies.  Blackwell
publishes over 800 journals annually and has close to 6,000 text and
reference books in print, across a wide range of academic, medical, and
professional subjects. The company remains independent with 900 staff
members in offices in the US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, Germany,
Japan, and Singapore. Blackwell's mission as an expert publisher is to
create long-term partnerships with clients to enhance learning,
disseminate research, and improve the quality of professional practice.
For more information on Blackwell Publishing, please visit
<http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/> or
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/> .

About Book Link

Book Link is a UK-registered charity that works with publishers to collect, 
ship, and distribute high-quality books to schools in Ethiopia. For more 
information about Book Link, visit www.booklink.org.uk 
<http://www.booklink.org.uk/> .

Ginny Foley
Public Relations Manager
Blackwell Publishing
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5018

Tel:  781-388-8334  Fax: 781-338-8334

vfoley@bos.blackwellpublishing.com
<http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/>