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BOOKER, M. Keith, ed. Things Fall Apart , by Chinua Achebe. 322p. ISBN 978-1-58765-711-5. LC 2010030196. BROMBERG, Howard, ed. The Incredibly Wealthy. 3 vols. 1168p. (Great Lives from History Series). photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Salem. 2011. Tr $395. ISBN 978-1-58765-664-4. LC 2010042962. CAREY, Charles W., Jr. American Inventors, Entrepreneurs & Business Visionaries. revised by Ian C. Friedman. 2 vols. rev. ed. 910p. (Facts On File Library of American History Series). illus. photos. appendix. bibliog. further reading. index. CIP. Facts On File. 2010. Tr $95. ISBN 978-0-8160-8146-2; ebook: contact Infobase eBooks. ISBN 978-1-4381-3336-2. LC 2009054269. CROWE, Felicity, ed., et al. Illustrated Dictionary of the Muslim World. 192p. chron. PLB $39.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-7929-1. LC 2010008613. CURTIS, Edward E., IV. Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History. 2 vols. 652p. photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Facts On File. 2010. Tr $195. ISBN 978-0-8160-7575-1; ebook: contact Infobase eBooks . ISBN 978-1-4381-3040-8. LC 2009024875. Dalton, Sarah, et al, eds. Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance. 15th ed. 5 vols. 852p. photos. appendix. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Ferguson. 2010. Tr $249.95. ISBN 978-0-8160-8313-8. LC 2010017724. DOWNING, John D. H., ed. Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media. 602p. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Sage. 2010. Tr $150. ISBN 978-0-7619-2688-7. LC 2010024806. GOREMAN, Robert F., ed. The Cold War. 3 vols. 1159p. (Magill’s Choice Series). maps. photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. CIP. Salem. 2010. PLB $75. ISBN 978-1-58765-730-6. LC 2010038864. HASTEDT, Glenn P., ed. Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations: An Encyclopedia of American Espionage. 2 vols. 927p. photos. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. ABC-CLIO. 2010. Tr $180. ISBN 978-1-85109-807-1; ebook $180. ISBN 978-1-85109-808-8. LC 2010021639. KATZ-HYMAN, Martha B. & Kym S. Rice, eds. World of a Slave: Encyclopedia of the Material Life of Slaves in the United States. 2 vols. 581p. photos. reprods. bibliog. further reading. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Greenwood. 2010. Tr $180. ISBN 978-0-313-34942-3; ebook $180. ISBN 978-0-313-34943-0. LC 2010037597. PRINCE III, Emmett G., Tammy L. Kernodle, & Horace J. Maxile, Jr. Encyclopedia of African American Music. 3 vols. 1116p. photos. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. discography. Web sites. CIP. Greenwood. 2010. Tr $280. ISBN 978-0-313-34199-1; ebook $280. ISBN 978-0-313-34206-6. LC 2010039693. PUSKAR-PASEWICZ, Margaret, ed. Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism. 290p. photos. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Greenwood. 2010. Tr $85. ISBN 978-0-313-37556-9; ebook $85. ISBN 978-0-313-37557-6. LC 2010022838. REISMAN, Rosemary M. Canfield, ed. Critical Survey of Poetry: American Poets. 4th ed. 4 vols. 2414p. photos. reprods. glossary. Tr $495. ISBN 978-1-58765-583-8. ROSS, Jeffrey Ian, ed. Religion and Violence: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict from Antiquity to the Present. 3 vols. 896p. charts. photos. bibliog. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. M.E. Sharpe. 2010. Tr $315. ISBN 978-0-7656-2048-4. LC 2010039628. SOLLARS, Michael D., ed. Dictionary of Literary Characters. 5 vols. 2528p. CIP. Facts On File. 2010. Tr $400. ISBN 978-0-8160-7379-5. LC 2009042853. ebook: contact Infobase eBooks. ZITZEWITZ, Paul W. The Handy Physics Answer Book. 2nd ed. 373p. diags. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. glossary. index. CIP. Visible Ink. 2011. pap. $21.95. ISBN 978-1-57859-305-7. LC 2010047248. Resource Update ADNEY, Karley & Holly Hassel. Critical Companion to J.K. Rowling: A Literary Reference to Her Life and Work. 400p. Tr $75. ISBN 978-0-8160-7574-4; ebook $75. ISBN 978-1-4381-3393-5. LC 2009054326. Facts On File. 2010. BALL, Howard. Genocide: A Reference Handbook. 276p. 2010. Tr $55. ISBN 978-1-59884-488-7; ebook $55. ISBN 978-1-59884-489-4. LC 201003519. (Contemporary World Issues Series). ABC-CLIO . CONFER, Clarissa W. Daily Life During the Indian Wars. 223p. (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series). Greenwood. 2010. Tr $49.95. ISBN 978-0-313-36454-9; ebook $49.95. ISBN 978-0-313-36455-6. LC 2010039387 . FERRO, Jeffrey. Prisons. rev. ed. 312p. (Library in a Book Series). Facts On File. 2011. Tr $45. ISBN 978-0-8160-8236-0; ebook: Infobase eBooks. ISBN 978-1-4381-3398-0. LC 2010049855. GIBNEY, Mark. Global Refugee Crisis: A Reference Handbook. 2nd ed. 324p. ABC-CLIO. 2010. Tr $55. ISBN 978-1-59884-455-9; ebook $55. ISBN 978-1-59884-456-6. LC 2010030686. (Contemporary World Issues Series). MORENO, Michael P. & Kristin C. Brunnemer. Term Paper Resource Guide to Latino History. 245p. (Term Paper Resource Guides Series). Greenwood. 2010. Tr $65. ISBN 978-0-313-37932-1; ebook $65. ISBN 978-0-313-37933-8. LC 2010022998 . MUELLER, Bruce F. & Will Hochman. Critical Companion to J. D. Salinger: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. 495p. Tr $75. ISBN 978-0-8160-6597-4; ebook $75. ISBN 978-1-4381-3347-8. LC 2009051278. Facts On File. 2010. Recent Works on the Environment LINDSTROM, Matthew, ed. Encyclopedia of the U.S. Government and the Environment: History, Policy, and Politics. 2 vols. 912p. photos. bibliog. chron. index. CIP. ABC-CLIO. 2010. Tr $180. ISBN 978-1-59884-237-1; ebook $180. ISBN 978-1-59884-238-8. LC 2010035447. MAGOC, Chris J. Chronology of Americans and the Environment. 190p. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. glossary. index. CIP. ABC-CLIO. 2011. Tr $35. ISBN 978-1-59884-411-5; ebook $35. ISBN 978-1-59884-412-2. LC 2010041208. NEIMARK, Peninah & Peter Rhoades Mott, eds. The Environmental Debate. 2nd ed. 460p. appendix. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Grey House. 2010. Tr $165. ISBN 978-1-59237-676-6; ebook $165. ISBN 978-1-59237-677-3. LC number unavailable.
BARBER, James G., ed., et al. The Civil War: A Visual History. 360p. maps. photos. reprods. chron. index. DK. 2011. Tr $40. ISBN 978-0-7566-7185-3. LC number unavailable.
Gr 5 Up–A stunning, large-format pictorial history. The seven chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with an overview of slavery in the United States, 1815 to 1860, and ending with a survey of the legacies of the conflict during the period 1865 to 1877. The narrative and illustrations highlight all of the issues surrounding the war, including the first shots fired at Bull Run, the blockade of the South, the question of border states, important battles, soldiers’ uniforms and weapons, African Americans’ roles, the importance of the railroad, photography, Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and Reconstruction. Chapter introductions are followed by illustrated time lines and by short topical divisions that include biographies, maps, original documents or eyewitness accounts, illustrations, historical photographs, artifacts, and reproductions of paintings. Page layouts and the use of color are superb, and sidebars abound, adding to this extraordinary book. An awesome resource for commemorations of the Civil War sesquicentennial.–Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
HERRERA-SOBEK, María, ed. The House on Mango Street , by Sandra Cisneros. 428p. ISBN 978-1-58765-717-7. LC 2010030198.
LINK, Eric Carl, ed. The Red Badge of Courage , by Stephen Crane. 324p. ISBN 978-1-58765-707-8. LC 2010029186.
LYNCH, Jack, ed. The Canterbury Tales , by Geoffrey Chaucer. 469p. ISBN 978-1-58765-723-8. LC 2010030223.
MURDOCH, Brian, ed. All Quiet on the Western Front , by Erich Maria Remarque. 377p. ISBN 978-1-58765-719-1. LC 2010030208.
MUSTAZZA, Leonard, ed. Slaughterhouse-Five , by Kurt Vonnegut. 358p. ISBN 978-1-58765-721-4. LC 2010030222.
NEWLIN, Keith, ed. The Sun Also Rises , by Ernest Hemingway. 374p. ISBN 978-1-58765-713-9. LC 2010029211.
ea vol: (Critical Insights Series). bibliog. chron. index. notes. CIP. Salem. 2010. PLB $85.
Gr 9 Up–Covering works that are frequently studied in high school, this strong set is a useful one-stop research tool. The books are divided into three major sections: biographical information, contextual essays, and critical essays. The selection of critical works covers the gamut of readings, from early reactions to Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises to considerations of feminist and lesbian themes in Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street. And unlike Gale’s “Novels for Students” and “Short Stories for Students” sets (which these might complement), Salem isn’t simply presenting readers with lengthy excerpts from critical works, but with entire essays. Online access to the full text of the set is complementary with print purchase. It should be noted that while the print set will be a welcome addition to reference shelves, the kind of material repackaged here is readily available through Gale’s Literature Resource Center and EBSCO’s Literary Reference Center.–Herman Sutter, St. Agnes Academy, Houston, TX
Gr 9 Up–Discussing 445 people from around the world and through the ages, these two- to four-page profiles include birth and death dates, nationality, occupation, “sources of wealth,” and “bequeathal of wealth.” Next, a narrative recounts the subject’s early life, with a focus on the accumulation, use, impact, and final distribution of the person’s wealth. At times the succinct information in the lists doesn’t quite match the text. For Bill Gates, “sources of wealth” are recorded as “Inheritance; computer industry,” but there is no further mention of an inheritance. Gates’s “bequeathal of wealth” lists “Spouse, charity” and fails to include his children even though the narrative reveals that each will receive a $10 million inheritance. While most individuals included are significant, there are a few, such as the Ninth Duke of Bedford, whose inclusion seem pointless. Modern-day tie-ins are mentioned when appropriate, as in the case of oil magnate Edward Doheny, whose life indirectly provided the basis for the 2007 film, There Will Be Blood. Black-and-white photos and sidebars flesh out the subjects and illuminate the ability of the wealthy to shape society. Easy online access to the full text of the set, through the Salem History database, is included with purchase.–Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA
Gr 7 Up–The more than 300 entries in this solid work profile individuals whose professional contributions have made an impact on our nations’ business landscape, for better or worse; to wit, the inclusion of Ziba Oakes, “entrepreneur in the slave trade.” For easier access, or to aid in brainstorming assignment ideas, a header in each entry lists the invention or type of business that the individual created or engaged in, and birth and death dates, where applicable. The work has grown 70 pages over the 2002 edition; additions include music entrepreneur Jay-Z and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who shares the Zs with Vladimir Zworykin, inventor of the first electronic picture tube. What makes this reference source stand out from its peers is Carey’s emphasis on nameless heroes in the realms of entrepreneurship and invention. Gertrude Agnes Muller, for example, may not be a household name, but parents can thank her for potty chairs and children’s car seats. Further-reading suggestions conclude each profile; a few entries include a black-and-white photograph of the subject. With its eclectic list of visionaries, this work will not only educate, but it will also inspire and entertain.–Christina Connolly, Clark University, Worcester, MA
–––– . Islamic Beliefs, Practices, and Cultures. 352p. index. PLB $59.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-7926-0. LC 2010008611.
–––– . Modern Muslim Societies. 416p. maps. index. PLB $59.95. ISBN 978-0-7614-7927-7. LC 2010008612.
ea vol: (Muslim World Series). photos. reprods. further reading. glossary. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish. 2010.
Gr 7 Up–In-depth titles on modern Islam. Dictionary contains a glossary, a time line, a fact file of nations with significant Muslim populations, and two dictionaries: persons and places. Islamic Beliefs and Muslim Societies delve into social and religious customs in the Muslim world, and the world at large. General topics are covered (holidays, visual arts, marriage) and there are chapters devoted to the specific histories of Islam in different regions of the world. These titles do not shy away from current controversies, such as the debates over the definition of jihad and whether or not Islamic law requires the practice of female genital mutilation (considered by the WHO to be a human-rights violation). Sideboxes and pull-quotes highlight key concepts and enhance accessibility. Clear, color photos and reproductions throughout illustrate the diversity of the world’s Muslims and their rich heritage. While it is detailed in information, the dictionary’s inclusion criteria are unclear. It is confusing, for example, why Salman Rushdie is included, but not Ayaan Hirsi Ali. While extensive further-reading lists are included in each title, individual articles don’t cite sources. However, except in the dictionary, the author of each article is listed, along with credentials. Attractive trim on the pages, colorful fonts, quality illustrations, and framed (and often illustrated) sideboxes create a pleasing layout. Excellent for assignments.–Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH
Gr 9 Up–This diverse work includes biographies and material on significant cities, organizations, and general topics such as “children’s literature,” “film,” “hip-hop,” and “women.” Black-and-white captioned photographs are included with some articles; all list further-reading suggestions. The idea of “Muslim-American” is of recent origin. Prior to September 11, 2001, Americans who were Muslim typically self identified as, for example, Pakistani-American, African-American, or Bosnian-American, and the experiences of the various ethnicities are very different. While there are entries on Muslims of those ethnicities and others, the lack of commonality in their cultures and the overly general nature of many other entries give the volumes an oddly disjointed feel. Also, though it is alluded to in other articles, there is no entry on radical Islam, an obvious omission. The vast majority of Muslims are not radicalized, but radical Islam in the United States and abroad has had an all-too-large impact on the recent history of Muslim Americans. While there is useful and accurate information in this volume, and there is a demand for information about Islam, this work has shortcomings.–Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH
Gr 9 Up–A slight facelift and new content update this longstanding career reference. This edition boasts 40 new job articles (for a total of more than 750), and numerous textual revisions and more recent black-and-white photos. Volume I provides general information about preparing for a career and finding a job. The revisions reflect new language about technology tools and resources. For example, the previous editions advised “…searching the classifieds,” whereas this edition suggests “…using network tools.” Separate entries for jobs such as helicopter pilot, textile technician, and golf-course superintendent have been eliminated, while ski-resort worker, steel worker, and news anchor have been added. A focus on science has spawned new entries for environmental scientist, solar engineer, and organic farmer. A set index to jobs, found in the back of each volume, is not intuitive. Job titles match those used by Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), and students unfamiliar with the term headings may be frustrated when trying to find cross-references. Organic farmer is not referenced under farmers, solar engineer is not under engineers, and secondary or elementary teacher is not found under teachers. “Words to Know,” miscellaneous side bars, and a unique sub-section in each entry that views jobs in a larger industry context or in relationship to other jobs makes this reference source much more fleshed out than the OOH or DOT and makes it a worthy purchase.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Gr 9 Up–Debates may swirl about whether recent uprisings in the Middle East and Africa really owe their origins to Facebook or Twitter, but even die-hard Luddites must admit that social media had some role in facilitating the revolutions. Downing’s fascinating work provides background to this subversive phenomenon over time and across the world in articles such as “Alternative Comics (United States),” “Angry Buddhist Monk Phenomenon (Southeast Asia),” “Gay Press (Canada, United Kingdom, United States),” and “Social Democratic Media to 1914.” Twitter and Facebook don’t have their own entries, but information on the tools’ use can be accessed using the lengthy index, where students will find entries such as “Arab bloggers and Twitter” and “protest groups and Facebook.” Selections, which range from a column to several pages and are followed by cross-references and several further-reading suggestions, are sometimes quite heavy reading, but persevering history, social studies, and journalism students, as well as those participating in debates, will find the book invaluable. Browsers who are willing to forgo images will be rewarded by a rich array of topics they never thought to investigate.–Henrietta Thornton-Verma, School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up–Insightful and laconic, these 180 chronologically arranged essays explore the pertinent events of the global struggle from the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, examining such issues as the Berlin blockade and airlift, the Warsaw Pact, the Cuban missile crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the dramatic overthrow of Romanian Communist leader Nicolae Ceau escu. The first volume begins with an effective overview while the epilogue to volume three addresses the Cold War’s “Legacies and Reverberations.” Each essay begins with an italicized thesis, “locale,” and “category” (such as “government and politics,” “human rights,” or “business and labor”), followed by a list of the key figures involved. The body of each essay is comprised of a summary of the event that illuminates the details of the topic and a concluding comment on its significance that places each episode within an interpretive framework. Following each entry is a handful of valuable further-reading resources and cross-references. Volume three also contains a helpful bibliography and list of entries, both organized by subject; and geographical, photo, personage, and subject indexes. With solid scholarship and impeccable organization, this worthwhile set encompasses an expansive amount of material.–Brian Odom, Pelham Public Library, AL
Gr 9 Up–The introduction to this set provides a brief overview of espionage–its purpose, its role in the intelligence cycle, how it is related to the bureaucratic community, and how it is controlled. The 600-plus entries that form the body of the work cover individuals, events, organizations, and eras related to American espionage from the 1700s to today. More than half of the articles are biographical, and their average length is about a page. Cross references after each article and a strong index aid navigation. However, the lack of topic guides and the absence of broad articles summarizing eras, movements, and controversies limit the pathways to general research. Though concise and accurate, the entries will be most useful for students already somewhat familiar with a topic. The biographies typically begin with a list of dates and places, without opening context to introduce the figure’s relevance. Oleg Penkovsky’s family and military progress are discussed, for instance, before the revelation that the man spied for the United States. Examinations of the controversial aspects of espionage offer multiple viewpoints, though with limited depth. Occasionally the text can be confusing as it covers subtle shifts in policies and practice. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner’s The Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security (Gale, 2003) goes a bit deeper, while Spies, Wiretaps, and Secret Operations addresses the need for current information, with a particular emphasis on biographical data.–Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR
Gr 9 Up–Much has been learned about slave life since John Blassingame’s The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South (Oxford Univ., 1972). These volumes enhance readers’ knowledge of the topic by focusing on the material world of the enslaved. Drawing upon archaeological investigations, museum collections, and oral histories collected from former slaves by the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration in 1936-1937, the 170 signed entries offer a fascinating and enlightening view of slave life in America from the 17th century through Emancipation. Articles are arranged alphabetically, are cross-referenced, and each one includes suggested readings. The topics include economy, education and literacy, food and drink, personal items, home, religion, rites of passage, structures and work. Each entry is filled with an assortment of particularized information on items such as ribbons, slave badges, gardens, furnishings, fiddles, conjure bags, bottle trees, and brooms. A plethora of information is presented and the text is illustrated with black-and-white photos of slaves’ personal items and other implements, places they lived and worked, and related artwork. Numerous sidebars present quotes from the oral histories of the former slaves. The set closes with a selected bibliography, index, and list of contributors. An outstanding addition for all history collections.–Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Gr 7 Up–This impressive work covers a wide variety of movements (“Motown Sound,” “Slave Music of the South”); musicians (“Afrika Bambaataa,” “Ice Cube”); and phenomena (“Appropriation of African American Music,” “Black-Owned Music Publishing Companies”). Entries are fairly extensive, and most are accompanied by a black-and-white photograph. Each movement covered is given a solid overview and well-chosen examples. The books mainly address music history, but don’t neglect the business side of the industry. The wonderful thing about these volumes is that they afford readers the opportunity to learn about long-forgotten or little-remembered artists who made major contributions to African-American music.–Carol Jones Collins, Hanover Park High School, East Hanover, NJ
Gr 9 Up–Food has become a hot-button issue akin to religion and politics in American culture, making this volume a beneficial resource. This book uses the often polysyllabic vocabulary of academia to convey complicated and controversial ethical concepts and historical movements as succinctly as possible. The writing, by scholars, historians, food writers, sociologists, ethicists, and jurists, is sometimes problematic; one entry, for example, refers to animal experimentation as “vivisection,” without explanation. Much of the content is admirable and thought-provoking, with entries on Pythagoras, the Shakers, and the Hindu doctrine of ahimsa. However, the pro-vegetarianism bias and inflammatory rhetoric that periodically appear (“women, children, and non-human animals” are casually referred to as “the most vulnerable victims of patriarchal and capitalist brutality,” for example) dilutes the book’s authority as a reference source. Useful further-reading lists, most of which point to primary sources, therefore appear designed to make opinion look like fact. Tristram Stuart’s The Bloodless Revolution (Norton, 2007) presents a more balanced history of vegetarianism.–Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD
–––– . Critical Survey of Poetry: British, Irish, and Commonwealth Poets. 4th ed. 3 vols. 1470p. photos. reprods. glossary. Tr $395. ISBN 978-1-58765-588-3.
–––– . Critical Survey of Poetry: Cumulative Indexes. 4th ed. 265p. Tr free with purchase of two sets. ISBN 978-1-58765-767-2.
–––– . Critical Survey of Poetry: European Poets. 4th ed. 3 vols. 1261p. photos. reprods. glossary. Tr $395. ISBN 978-1-58765-756-6.
–––– . Critical Survey of Poetry: Topical Essays. 4th ed. 2 vols. 923p. photos. reprods. glossary. Tr $295. ISBN 978-1-58765-763-4.
–––– . Critical Survey of Poetry: World Poets. 4th ed. 442p. photos. reprods. glossary. Tr $150. ISBN 978-1-58765-761-0.
ea vol: bibliog. chron. index. Web sites. CIP. Salem. 2011. LC 2010045095.
Gr 9 Up–The writing in these attractive, intelligent works is engaging and informative, presenting an abundance of critical and contextual insights. In the books on poets, the 4- to 18-page entries begin with a brief overview of the subject’s importance, then provide a short biography followed by an analysis of the poet’s work. One of the wonders of the set is the “Resources” section found in volume two of Topical Essays, which offers a near-classic lesson in explication by Walton Beecham along with a piece on linguistics and a wonderful glossary of poetical terms. As reference tools, these books are informative and engaging, and some of the topical essays are not only illuminating, but inspiring. Online access to the ebook versions of the titles is purchased in conjunction with the print material. In recent months, Salem has improved its indexing of the database, and searches for titles and keywords now work much more smoothly. Though the scope of these books pales beside the vast expanses of Gale’s Literature Resource Center and EBSCO’s Literary Reference Center, which offer similar material, readers who prefer a print work will find these volumes of great value.–Herman Sutter, St. Agnes Academy, Houston, TX
Gr 10 Up–Given that this work has 130 entries (about 25 are U.S.-related) by more than 80 contributors, uneven focus and writing quality are predictable. Individuals, events, groups, acts, and areas are covered, often comprehensively (and with bibliographies). The “Atheism” article is narrow, omitting mention of the practice’s ancient origins and Eastern non-theistic religious nonviolence. There is an extensive discussion of Jainism’s just-war stance, but no reference to the origins of Jainism in the context of Brahmanism. The entry on Christianity barely acknowledges Christian-on-Christian violence and does not suggest seeing also “Colonization and Christianization,” which provides a different assessment of Christian violence. Other cross-reference lists have surprising omissions (e.g., “Terrorism” is not linked to “Suicide Bombing”). Black-and-white photos are few and functional; the index is thorough. Although about half of the articles will be of interest to high school students, the others are heavily theoretical and presuppose extensive background knowledge.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George’s School, Newport, RI
Gr 9 Up–These more than 40,000 annotations about figures from classic, pop, and genre fiction; short stories; and plays cover myriad periods, places, and languages. Ancient and modern titles are included, with personages drawn from beloved works (Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) and little-known titles (his Sylvia and Bruno). Some authors are represented by only one character while others are covered much more extensively–183 characters are listed from Charles Dickens’s The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, for example. Ranging from a few words to 19 lines, entries are arranged by character surname or, if unnamed, by the work in which he or she appears. The concise, accessible annotations note relevant book titles and the characters’ relationship to others in the stories and often explain their significance to the plot, which provides information and contextualization. Novels and plays are not differentiated by genre, making it difficult for readers who are unfamiliar with specific works to distinguish between them. Also, though the alphabetical “List of Authors, Titles, and Characters Included” and separate “List of Titles” are useful, there are no guide words in them to aid access. Readers may question some selections. For instance, Andre Dubus III is included but his father is not, and more characters from Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” than from “Macbeth” are listed. Despite these minor problems, this work displaces Benjamin Franklin’s Dictionary of American Literary Characters (1990) and John R. Greenfield’s Dictionary of British Literary Characters: 18th- and 19th-Century Novels (1993) and Dictionary of British Literary Characters: 20th-Century Novels (1994, all Facts On File), which focus solely on novels. A valuable addition to large collections.–Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL
Gr 8 Up–Modeled on P. Erik Gundersen’s 1998 edition, this thoroughly revised set offers a broad view of physical principles and how they are applied in technology and everyday life and to our current understanding of the universe. Gathered into general chapters such as “Momentum and Energy,” “Electricity,” and the subatomic realm (“At the Heart of the Atom”), the more than 800 questions cover topics from simple machines to quarks and from Newton’s Laws to why the word “Ambulance” is printed backwards on the vehicles. Though they are usually detailed enough to satisfy older, serious students, some answers are oversimplified–the author’s discussion of “weightlessness” includes a misleading claim that a gravitational field’s force can fall to zero with distance, for instance. Also, answers to specific questions tend to be clearer than those to more subjective ones such as, “Are nuclear power plants safe?” Though Zitzewitz occasionally admits that scientists continue to be baffled by some phenomena, he underplays gaps in knowledge by relegating a limited set of “Unanswered Questions” to the end of the book. Furthermore, though the presentation is occasionally lightened with, for instance, a discussion of a unit of caloric measurement called the Jelly Doughnut, the overall tone’s dryness is only reinforced by a spare selection of small black-and-white photos and gray breakout boxes. Too scattershot to support systematic study and unlikely to keep the attention of casual browsers, this title may have trouble finding an audience.–John Peters, formerly at New York Public Library
Gr 10 Up–After an introduction that covers the history of American thinking on the environment and mentions figures from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry DavidThoreau to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Barack Obama, this thorough set boasts essays on myriad aspects of the government’s early, current, and future relationships to natural resources. Hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries, a few of them complemented by black-and-white photos, then address people, national and international legislation and treaties, places, events, landmark cases, government agencies, popular works, and more. Students will appreciate the primary documents, such as an excerpt from the Endangered Species Act of 1973, that are sprinkled throughout, as well as the often-extensive online and print references after each entry. Though the chronology doesn’t replace Chris J. Magoc’s Chronology of Americans and the Environment (ABC-CLIO, 2011), this is a minor issue in an otherwise valuable work.
Gr 8 Up–The hundreds of entries in this detailed (but rather small font) time line are divided into chapters by century and labeled according to topic; categories are as broad as “Air Pollution” and “Public Health” and as narrow as “Cattle” and “Fur Trade.” The entries are similarly varied. A few, such as the first, which notes the emergence of homo sapiens in Africa, provide necessarily bare-bones facts. Most others though, chronicling for example the reactions to the felling of a California giant sequoia in 1852; 1906 slaughterhouse reform as a result of the outcry around Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle; and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (the last entry), are longer and provide more social context. There are a few black-and-white reproductions of photographs and drawings. Of more value are the frequent sidebars, which excerpt, for instance, Chief Tecumseh’s views on how Native Americans could protect their lands. Adding to the presentation are a rich index and a lengthy bibliography that includes an annotated website listing.
Gr 8 Up–Helpfully annotated primary-source documents in chapters from “Foundations of American Environmental Thought and Action” to “Challenges for the Twenty-First Century” are the mainstay of this update and expansion of the 1999 edition. Entries include excerpts from “Christopher Columbus Inventories the New World’s Natural Resources (1493),” “Rebecca Harding Davis on Smoke and Soot in a Mill Town (1861),” “John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939),” and “Al Gore on the Politicization of Global Warming (2006).” The latter is among 20 documents in a new final chapter covering from 2000 to 2010. Some of the entries are not just one document. For example, “The Founding Fathers on the Care of the Land (1793, 1818)” features quotes from four sources. The work also includes a lengthy introduction, significant back matter, and a very few black-and-white graphics, but the well-chosen primary-source documents that appear in a large font and are set in plenty of white space provide this work’s utility. –Henrietta Thornton-Verma, School Library Journal
