The book is for people who are concerned with rural poverty and rural development. Some are from rich countries, but the great majority are professionals in Third World countries, working in government departments, voluntary agencies, political parties, commercial organisations, schools, universities, training institutes and research organisations. It is an attempt to speak to both practitioners and academics, and to both social scientists and physical and biological scientists, without distinction of profession or discipline. It is about rural poverty and the perceptions, attitudes, learning, ways of thinking and behaviour of professionals. Its original title was 'Putting the Last First: Reversals for R:ural Development', and it retains reversals as a central theme - the need for them, their feasibility, and their personal implications. The focus is deliberately limited to rural poverty and to the Third World. There is appalling urban poverty in the Third World, and there is rural poverty in the richer worlds. Some of what I have written applies to these, but rural poverty in the Third World deserves special attention and efforts because it is less visible. Within the Third World, much of the evidence is from Africa South of the Sahara and from South Asia; and while this no doubt influences the analysis and conclusions, I hope that what is said will be found relevant and useful in Latin America, the rest of Asia, and elsewhere.