The Forties in America World War II and the Postwar Years in America

History isn't the only thing that repeats itself; the same can be said of history reference books. Here, two titles examine the major events of the 1940s, detailing the transformation of the United States from World War II to a nuclear superpower. Comparison of article lists reveals surprisingly little overlap. Though this is an oversimplification, Forties may be viewed as the "serious" set, with entries covering the social scene ("Bobby-soxers"), literature ("Literature in the United States"), music ("Andrews Sisters"), law ("Cantwell v. Connecticut"), and many other contemporary topics. Postwar Years is the "silly" set, looking at fads and fashions, movies, comic books, television shows, and all the other ephemeral themes that comprise so-called popular culture. While the former set has more numerous (650) articles of shorter length, the latter has fewer (175) but more comprehensive entries. Each Forties article features fast facts regarding who/what/where, an italicized sentence or two giving the gist of the entry, the article body, and a concluding "Impact" paragraph that explains lasting significance. Longer entries have a "Further Reading" list; regardless of length, all are signed and contain cross-references. Crisp black-and-white photographs, sidebar articles, and 17 appendixes round out the set. (Roughly comparable is the 1940s set from Gale's American Decadesseries, which takes a more narrative approach, though the encyclopedic format of Forties is likely preferable.) Postwar Years similarly presents well-written and interesting material supplemented with black-and-white photographs. An especially appealing feature is a series of tables (103 total) listing Broadway musicals, films, best-selling books, etc., along with pertinent commentary that helps to recall the temper of the times. Rounding out the volumes is a chronology of the decade and an extensive bibliography. BOTTOM LINE These two sets should be seen as a complement to each other—what can't be found in one title may generally be found in the other. Therefore, both are highly recommended for purchase by all public and academic libraries. However, should tight budgets allow only one choice, this reviewer sides with Forties, as its broader scope presents a bigger slice of that decade's pie.—Michael F. Bemis, Washington Cty. Lib., Woodbury, MN