1989 is so 80s

I am sitting in the law library (a rare occasion for me) and the book shelf I am facing has a book on it called "Political Handbook of the World: 1989." Uhhh....premier law school with supposedly 1 million volumes in the library? Are they counting this volume?

I can't imagine a book more out of date than a political snapshot of the world from 1989. The USSR is gone and there are about a million more countries in the world. Russia has a PRESIDENT, for chrissake. 1989 was before 9/11. Before the 1st Iraq war. Before Bosnia. Before Clinton. Before Hong Kong went back to China. The same year the Berlin Wall came down and the same year as Tienanmen Square, and I bet the book went to press before the Germans reunited or the tanks ran over the Chinese students.

Why is this book in the law library? Looking for a perspective on politics at that time? Seems like there must be better sources for the world political climate of the late 80s than something called a "political handbook." Newspaper articles, for example. Or Howard Zinn.

This is very weird to me. If I didn't hate carrying around books so much, I would check it out. I love the 80s as much as the next girl, but what a bizarre book to be front and center at the law library.