In another helpful segment, Bligh briefly considers alternatives when lecturing is inadequate, and suggests combining other teaching methods with lecturing. Buzz groups, controlled discussions, brainstorming, individual problem solving, and audio tapes are a few examples. Bligh concludes What's the Use of Lectures with some suggestions about preparation, especially for new lecturers. Finally, a helpful and comprehensive bibliography, name index, and subject index are provided.

While I gained new knowledge and historical information from reviewing this book, I found some limitations. Newer information about learning styles and the appropriate use or integration of technology is missing. Occasionally I was also troubled by the author's tone, "An individual's personality consists of relatively permanent characteristics. Therefore, almost by definition, we should not expect any teaching method to have immediate effects"(p. 17). Further, "All the lecturers can do is make the best of a bad job"(p. 231). Bligh's position that "lectures are relatively ineffective for inspiring interest in a subject" (p. 14) seems contradictory to me; I believe that there ARE clearly ways to engage students even in large lecture sections, and many of our colleagues do so on a daily basis.

While Bligh has updated this classic text and the improvements are noteworthy, another weakness which troubled me was that when discussing evaluation of lectures (Chapter 13), recent writings on assessment (e.g., Thomas Angelo and Patricia Cross' Handbook of Classroom Assessment Techniques) were missing. Readers seeking a scholarly review and historical perspective on the role of lecture-based information would likely find this text helpful. Overall however, and especially for more readable and practical tips for new lecturers, there are several other titles (e. g., McKeachie et al.: Teaching Tips or Renner, The Art of Teaching Adults) I would rather recommend.