Reference Review Books: Feburary 2012
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CIMENT, James, ed. World Terrorism: An Encyclopedia of Political Violence from Ancient Times to the Post-9/11 Era. 3 vols. 2nd ed. 1016p. illus. maps. photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Sharpe Reference. 2011. PLB $349. ISBN 978-0-7656-8284-0. LC 2011006073. ebook: Sharpe Online Reference. HORNSBY, Alton, Jr., ed. Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia. 2 vols. 1010p. charts. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. index. Web sites. CIP. Greenwood. 2011. Tr $180. ISBN 978-0-313-34112-0; ebook: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. JUERGENSMEYER, Mark & Wade Clark Roof, eds. Encyclopedia of Global Religion. 2 vols. 1468p. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. SAGE. 2011. PLB $325. ISBN 978-0-7619-2729-7. LC 2011019305. ebook: SAGE Reference Online The following titles are reviewed in the February print issue. Visit our Reviews Center (Beta) for the full reviews. BALDINO, Thomas J. & Kyle L. Kreider. U.S. Election Campaigns: A Documentary and Reference Guide. 352p. ISBN 978-0-313-35304-8; ISBN 978-0-313-35305-5. LC 2011011234. BANKSTON, Carl L., ed. Great Lives from History: African Americans. 5 vols. 1790p. (Great Lives from History Series). photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. Salem. 2011. PLB $595. ISBN 978-1-58765-747-4; ebook: Salem History database. CARRASCO, Davíd & Scott Sessions. Daily Life of the Aztecs. 2nd ed. 288p. (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series). charts. chron. notes. CIP. Greenwood. Tr $49.95. ISBN 978-0-313-37744-0; PLB $49.95. ISBN 978-0-313-37744-0; ebook: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. FAVOR, Lesli J. Natural Disasters. fwd. by Katherine Ellins. 414p. (Global Issues Series). charts. diags. maps. photos. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Facts On File. 2011. PLB $45. ISBN 978-0-8160-8260-5; ebook: Infobase eBooks . HUDSON, David L. The Handy Presidents Answer Book. 2nd ed. 502p. (The Handy Answer Book Series). photos. reprods. index. CIP. Visible Ink. 2011. pap. $21.95. ISBN 978-1-57859-317-0; ebook $18.95. ISBN 978-1-57859-360-6. LC 2011019771. JOHNSON, Michael G. & Bill Yenne. Arts & Crafts of the Native American Tribes. 256p. diags. illus. maps. photos. reprods. bibliog. index. CIP. Firefly. 2011. Tr $49.95. ISBN 978-1-55407-902-5. LC 20119002280. KREISER, Lawrence & Ray B. Browne, eds. Voices of Civil War America: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life. 240p. (Voices of an Era Series). photos. reprods. appendix. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Greenwood. 2011. PLB $79. ISBN 978-0-313-37740-2; ebook: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. KUHAR, Michael J. & Howard Liddle. Drugs of Abuse. 320p. ISBN 978-0-7614-7944-4; ISBN 978-0-7614-9973-2. LC 2011004717. MALLON, Bill & Jeroen Heijmans. Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement. 4th ed. 622p. (Historical Dictionaries of Sports Series). appendix. chron. index. CIP. Scarecrow. 2011. PLB $99. ISBN 978-0-8108-7249-3; ebook: NetLibrary, Overdrive, MyiLibrary, EBL, & Questia TAYLOR, Charles, ed. The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. 3rd ed. 488p. charts. diags. illus. maps. photos. reprods. chron. glossary. index. Kingfisher. 2011. PLB $34.99. ISBN 978-0-7534-6688-9. LC number unavailable. WILLIAMS, Will & Caroline Taggart. I Used to Know That: Geography. 176p. (I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot from School Series). charts. maps. index. Reader’s Digest. 2011. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-60652-245-5. LC number unavailable.
Gr 10 Up–Considering the complexity of the subject, Ciment has done an adequate job of describing and documenting many of the numerous types and acts of terrorism from 600 BCE to 2011. The double-column text is arranged in six parts that cover definitions, types and categories; historical roots–terrorism from ancient Greece and Rome through World War II; modern terrorism–post-World War II; 9/11 attacks and aftermath, a section that has been revised since the 2003 work; tactics, methods, and aims of modern terrorism; and counterterrorism. The historical entries, arranged in chronological order, vary from almost two pages to four pages in length. Each entry contains numerous subheadings, a “Key Dates” box, several items in “see also” listings, and a lengthy further-reading list. Most of the articles are accompanied by either a black-and-white photo or a map, both of which have informative captions. The appendixes contain a chronology of major terrorist events, 1945-2011 and a directory describing terrorist groups and individuals. Keep in mind that this is an overview and not a definitive work. This set will be beneficial to libraries not owning the earlier edition, and to those that need extra information on the 9/11 attacks and the responses to them, including the pursuit and death of Osama bin Laden.–Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS
Gr 7 Up–The coverage in this unusual work is presented state by state, with each chapter opening with a discussion of black American life in Colonial times and proceeding to the present. Chapters include a historical overview, a time line, a discussion of the cultural contributions of African Americans, and a listing of notable African American residents, and close with an extensive bibliography that provides a list of print and electronic sources on the African American experience in that state. The material describes what black Americans in each place have in common–for example, that they share a history of discrimination and of adhering to messianic Christianity to a lesser or greater extent. The volume also maintains that experiences differ from state to state, with African American life in 1920s Vermont, for example, differing substantially from that in Mississippi at the same time, and segregation in the South leading to the creation by blacks of unique cultural and educational institutions, a phenomenon that did not necessarily hold true in the North. A great introduction to black history.–Carol Jones Collins, Hanover Park High School, East Hanover, NJ
Gr 9 Up–Claimed by its editors to offer a more global perspective than other available reference works in this subject area–the most recent competitor would be J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann’s Religions of the World (ABC-CLIO, 2010)–this encyclopedia contains nearly 800 alphabetically arranged entries that describe and analyze a broad array of religious beliefs, practices, concepts, movements, controversies, and social issues. Roughly 10 percent of the articles are biographies of religious thinkers (but not founders), and every country–as well as significant cities and regional entities from Lourdes to Los Angeles–has a separate entry. Articles average one to two double column pages in length, with significant variations either way for topics such as “Yarmulke/Kippah” or “Christianity,” and nearly all close with multiple cross references and up-to-date further reading. The first volume includes a topical “Readers Guide” to articles; the second ends with a thorough index. Because the 400-plus contributors consistently adhere to an international and anthropological approach, articles on hot-button topics such as “Abortion,” “Sexuality,” and “McDonaldization” will be particularly valuable as intellectual horizon expanders. Furthermore, six regional articles surveying new religions and entries on such unexpected subjects as “Faith Tourism” and “Japanese Religions in Latin America” will also provide general students of modern social movements with useful insights and information. The massive Encyclopedia of Religion (Macmillan, 2004) still reigns supreme, but Juergensmeyer’s work or the ABC-CLIO title mentioned previously will serve as a solid foundation for academic religious or social-study programs supported by less-well-heeled reference collections.–John Peters, formerly at New York Public Library
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KALAITZIDIS, Akis & Gregory W. Streich. U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide. 332p. ISBN 978-0-313-38375-5; ISBN 978-0-313-38376-2. LC 2011013522.
ea vol: charts. illus. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. Web sites. CIP. (Documentary and Reference Guide Series). Greenwood. 2011. PLB $100; ebook: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection.
COHEN SUAREZ, Ananda & Jeremy James George. Handbook to Life in the Inca World. 330p. (Handbook to Life Series). illus. maps. photos. reprods. bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. CIP. Facts On File. 2011. PLB $70. ISBN 978-0-8160-7449-5; ebook: Infobase eBooks.
ea vol: illus. maps. photos. reprods. bibliog. glossary. index. CIP.
–––– . Substance Abuse, Addiction, and Treatment. 352p. ISBN 978-0-7614-7943-7; ISBN 978-0-7614-9972-5. LC 2011009226.
ea vol: charts. diags. illus. photos. bibliog. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Marshall Cavendish. 2011. PLB $85.64; ebook $85.64.
