Best Reference 2004

On September 23, 2004, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) was published after 12 years of preparation to almost universal acclaim. With close to 55,000 essays from 10,000 contributors, the 60-volume set consumes 60,000 pages and 60 million words. The New York Times reported that a special batch of indestructible acid-free paper had to be ordered from a Swiss paper mill and that each set required enough sewing thread to go from one end of a football field to the other and back. Whether this represents the last great printing project of our time, as some have claimed, remains to be seen. Other publishers should take heart that with this major expenditure behind them, many libraries will find their reference budgets freed up for new purchases in 2005.

The best-selling reference book of the year, however, was the inexpensive Encyclopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers Univ.). With more than 15,000 copies sold and now in a third printing, the work represents the best example of an affordable yet detailed state encyclopedia. Rutgers certainly won hands down for the best marketing plan when it rented a billboard on the New Jersey Turnpike between Exits 12 and 13 to promote the book. As for city coverage, the Chicago Sun-Times called the Encyclopedia of Chicago (Univ. of Chicago), "no mere collection of fun facts" but a "work of stunning scholarly achievement" and for good reason. The work truly stands as a monumental resource on the Windy City. Regionally speaking, the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains (Univ. of Nebraska) paid unparalleled homage to the heartland of America through well over 1000 entries by 1000 scholars. For sheer value for the dollar, hats off to the wonderfully detailed Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, which belongs in all libraries and in offices nationwide. The 28 print titles on this year's best reference list, from 16 different publishers, including six university presses, cost $20,718, up $7,632.60 from last year—and last year's list totaled 30 titles. However, when we exclude the ODNB, the price drops to $7,718.60, for an average of $285.86 per title, down $28.14 from last year. Be sure to check out the best in databases and web sites, too.

Ancient Europe, 8000 B.C. to A.D. 1000: An Encyclopedia of the Barbarian World. 2 vols. Scribner Reference: Gale Group. 1100p. ed. by Peter I. Bogucki & Pam J. Crabtree. ISBN 0-684-80668-1. $265. Part of Scribner's "World History" series, this wide-ranging resource covers European prehistory from 8000 B.C.E., after the retreat of the Ice Age glaciers, to 1000 C.E., when institutionalized governments became established in Eastern Europe. Written by over 130 specialists and accompanied by hundreds of illustrations, the 212 articles are arranged in seven sections. The first provides a general overview, while the remainder cover major periods from Mesolithic hunters to the Middle Ages.

ATWOOD, CHRISTOPHER P. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongolian Empire. Facts On File. 678p. ISBN 0-8160-4671-9. $75. Most Americans have obtained their knowledge about Mongolia from watching movies about Genghis Khan or the Golden Horde. Now they can turn to this work by Mongolian specialist Atwood, who has created the first comprehensive resource about the Mongolian peoples. In about 1800 A–Z entries, the book covers everything from the Abbasid Caliphate to the yurt. We learn that Genghis, the founder of the Mongol Empire, is properly called Chinggis Khan and that the Golden Horde were founded by his eldest son, Jochi, whose successors ruled until Russian domination in the 20th century.

Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History. 5 vols. Berkshire Pub. Group. 2300p. ed. by William H. McNeill. ISBN 0-9743091-0-9. $575. Berkshire, previously a packager of books, has made an auspicious publishing debut with this unique and readable guide to world history. Eschewing the need to document every single event, the book emphasizes cultural contact and social change over time and place. Edited by well-known historian McNeill, the set features over 500 articles examining key themes, places, events, and people of world history. (LJ 1/05)

CAMPBELL, JONATHAN A. WILLIAM W. LAMAR. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 vols. Comstock: Cornell Univ. 1032p. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2. $149.95. In this extraordinary resource, boasting 1500 color plates and a 15-page bibliography, herpetologists Campbell and Lamar describe two species of lizards (the Gila monster and the beaded lizard) and 190 species of dangerously venomous snakes of North, Central, and South America. Provided are up-to-date accounts of each species—from the smallest to the largest—complete with descriptions, habitats, and geographic distribution. (LJ 8/04)

CORBEIL, JEAN-CLAUDE ARIANNE ARCHAMBAULT. The Firefly Five Language Visual Dictionary. Firefly. 1100p. ISBN 1-55297-778-1. $49.95. Of all the visual dictionaries Corbeil and Archambault have produced thus far, this is the most spectacular. With 35,000 entries and 6000 full-color images, it provides descriptions of the objects of modern life in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Such is the breadth of coverage that there are precise terms for 15 examples of shoes—not to mention cell phones and even MP3 players. (LJ 2/15/05)

Encyclopedia of American Social Movements. 4 vols. Sharpe Reference. 1809p. ed. by Immanuel Ness. ISBN 0-7656-8045-9. $399. Ness (political science, Brooklyn Coll.) here uses his extensive knowledge of labor, community organizing, and activism to develop a well-balanced resource on American social movements. Divided into 16 sections, this outstanding work tells the stories of social conflict in America, examining, among others, the antislavery and Civil Rights movements. Even more impressive is the book's coverage of lesser-known crusades like birth control, moral reform, poor peoples, and anti–sweat shop. (LJ 1/05)

Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. 3 vols. Greenwood. 1274p. ed. by Marc Bekoff. ISBN 0-313-32745-9. $349.95. This endlessly fascinating set is a seminal work in its field and one of the first complete resources on animal behavior. Bekoff (biology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) and his posse of 290 experts tell us what makes animals tick using techniques that range from molecular approaches to analysis of species. The 300 entries, some stretching to 7000 words, discuss topics as diverse as concept learning in pigeons and stress in dolphins. (LJ3/15/05)

The Encyclopedia of Chicago. Univ. of Chicago. 1152p. ed. by James R. Grossman. ISBN 0-226-31015-9. $65. Developed by the Newberry Library in cooperation with the Chicago Historical Society at a cost of $1.7 million, this is the most spectacular reference available on any U.S. city. It features 1400 entries on the people, institutions, and culture of the Windy City; 56 extraordinary maps; and 2000 brief biographies of deceased Chicagoans. It's the trivia like the 1919 city ordinance, "How To Dress at the Bathing Beaches" (instructing men to wear suits with skirt effect and women to wear blouse and bloomer suits), that give character to this gem. (LJ12/04)

Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. 2 vols. Oxford Univ. 1284p. ed. by Andrew F. Smith. ISBN 0-19-515437-1. $250. "Food has profoundly affected American history," proclaims culinary historian Smith in this fine reference, reminding us that it is our country's most important export. Written by 200 contributors, the 770 A–Z entries describe the development of American cuisine over time, explore the impact of various ethnic, religious, cultural, and racial groups, and examine the lives of influential people. The work provides helpful bibliographies, lists of web sites, library collections, and much more. (LJ 2/15/05)

Encyclopedia of Homelessness. 2 vols. Sage. 928p. ed. by David Levinson. ISBN 0-7619-2751-4. $295. According to a recent estimate, three million people experience homelessness in the United States each year. This resource enriches our knowledge of this enduring social problem through 150 superbly written entries. Focusing on the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the work examines homelessness in terms of characteristics, subgroups, lifestyles, perceptions, cities, nations, services, and settings. (LJ9/15/04)

Encyclopedia of Leadership. 4 vols. Sage. 2120p. ed. by James MacGregor Burns. ISBN 0-7619-2597-X. $595. What makes a great leader? This and other questions related to leadership are tackled in this first-of-a-kind resource on an emerging discipline. Edited by Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer Burns, the work features close to 400 entries in 19 categories ranging from the arts to gender. A bibliography and a directory of programs enhance its value, as do quotes like "Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it." (LJ8/04)

Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America. 3 vols. Scribner Reference: Gale Group. 1200p. ed. by Marc Stein. ISBN 0-684-31261-1. $380. Covering the 400-year history of same-sex and cross-gender desires in America, this rich resource has much to recommend. It explores topics in 13 subject areas, from people, politics, and culture to social, cultural, and political processes. Written by an interdisciplinary cast of scholars, the 550 entries cover everything from the Advocate to Elaine Hollingsworth's "nonfiction novel" Zulma (1974) and from AIDS to marriage ceremonies.

Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers Univ. 968p. ed. by Maxine N. Lurie & Marc Mappen. ISBN 0-8135-3325-2. $49.95. Almost a decade in the making, this wonderful reference on the Garden State includes 3000 articles, 585 illustrations, and 130 maps. The articles document the rich history of the state from the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, headquartered in Montvale, to a place called Surf City on Long Beach Island. Who knew that New Jersey has more horses per capita than any other state or that it has 53 airports and 800 cemeteries? All states deserve a resource this rich.

Encyclopedia of Recreation and Leisure in America. 2 vols. Scribner Reference: Gale Group. 800p. ed. by Gary S. Cross. ISBN 0-684-31265-4. $270. With the pursuit of happiness as one of our entitlements, this two-volume set provides a thorough survey of American leisure activities from pre-Colonial times to today. Part of Scribner's "American Civilization" series, the book comprises 172 entries examining the social development of leisure, the impact of technology, trends, people, ceremonies, leisure sites, and activities from aerobic exercise to professional wrestling. (LJ 2/1/05)

Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Univ. of Nebraska. 940p. ed. by David J. Wishart. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7. $75. This is easily the best resource available on the Great Plains. Encompassing ten states and three Canadian provinces, the region was laid waste by drought and wind erosion during the Depression, but modern agricultural management has converted it to the "breadbasket of North America." From Boys Town to the mythical "boot hill," here described as "a cemetery for ruffians with slow trigger fingers," this wonderful compilation features well over 1000 signed entries (from "African Americans" to "water"). (LJ9/15/04)

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2d ed.4 vols. Macmillan Reference: Gale Group. 2000p. ed. by Philip Mattar. ISBN 0-02-865769-1. $425. The events of 9/11 and the U.S. invasion of Iraq continue to draw attention to the Middle East. Providing coverage of the region since 1800, this new edition of a resource first published in 1996 includes 3000 entries, of which half are brand new or updated. Some novelties include 200 biographies of women and women's organizations and articles like the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. Naturally, the article on terrorism has been completely rewritten. (LJ 10/1/04)

FRUCHT, RICHARD. Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Land, and Culture. 3 vols. ABC-CLIO. 1200p. ISBN 1-57607-800-0. $285. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of its former client states, combined with the development of sources in global studies, have recently put the spotlight back on Eastern Europe. Organized geographically (the Northern Tier, Central Europe, and Southeastern Europe), this book provides sound discussions of all 16 lands and their history, culture, and current challenges—from the Singing Revolution of 1988 Estonia to the Velvet Divorce in 1993 Slovakia. (LJ4/1/05)

GHAREEB, EDMUND. Historical Dictionary of Iraq. Scarecrow. 536p. ISBN 0-8108-4330-7. $85. With so much attention given to Iraq these days, a timely ready-reference is needed to help us make sense of it all. In this addition to Scarecrow's "Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East" series, Ghareeb (Middle East coordinator, American Univ.) discusses all the relevant topics, covering the nation's history from Mesopotamia to present-day Iraq; its historical personalities, from Hamurabi to Saddam Hussein; and all the places like Al-Basra and Mosul. (LJ9/1/04)

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures. 8 vols. Greenwood. 3200p. ed. by Paul Piper. ISBN 0-313-33266-5. $699.95. The first to examine cultural regionalism on a national scale, this expensive but valuable set explores the history and culture of U.S. regions from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The essay-long articles examine at length each region's art, ethnicity, fashion, film, folklore, food, literature, religion, sports, and more. The chapter on Southern music, for example, describes spirituals, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, gospel, and even Swamp Pop. (LJ3/15/05)

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life. 6 vols. Greenwood. 3000p. ed. by Joyce E. Salisbury. ISBN 0-313-32541-3. $599.95. Adhering to French historian Fernand Braudel's saying that "everyday life consists of the little things one hardly notices in time and space," historian Salisbury aims to show in this unique set how the details of everyday life have shaped history. Volume 4, for example, which focuses on the 17th and 18th centuries, opens with a historical overview from England to colonial Australia and then looks at domestic, economic, material, and even religious life. (LJ 8/04)

The Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus. Oxford Univ. 1128p. ed. by Christine Lindberg. ISBN 0-19-517076-8. $40. Mark Twain once said, "The difference between any word and the right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug." So if you can't decide whether to use entice, inveigle, lure, seduce, or beguile, you may find the answer in this remarkable thesaurus. It lists more than 300,000 synonyms and 10,000 antonyms and includes over 200 essays, written with a flair by writers like David Auburn and Zadie Smith. Every library needs a copy. (LJ 12/04)

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 60 vols. Oxford Univ. 61,792p. ed. by H.C.G. Matthew. ISBN 0-19-861411-X. $13,000. Winner of the 2005 Dartmouth Medal, the ODNBchronicles the lives of 54,922 deceased individuals who were connected with the British Isles from the fourth century B.C.E. to 2000 C.E. Some 38,607 entries from the original (published at the turn of the last century) were revised or entirely rewritten, and 16,315 entries are brand-new to this edition. The coverage of all periods of history has increased, while the coverage of women has doubled. Twelve years in the making, at a cost of $40 million, this extraordinary resource is worth every penny. (LJ10/15/04)

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature. 4 vols. Oxford Univ. 2280p. ed. by Jay Parini. ISBN 0-19-515653-6. $495. Aiming to cover literary practices in the United States from Colonial times to today, this set profiles 242 authors, 51 themes, and 45 works. Cogent essays elucidate authors from Henry Adams to Richard Wright and comment critically on works from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. Other essays discuss ethnic literature, movements, broad themes, and specific genres. (LJ 12/03)

Praeger Handbook of Black American Health: Policies and Issues Behind the Disparities in Health. 2d ed. 2 vols. Praeger. 911p. ed. by Ivor L. Livingston. ISBN 0-313-33221-5. $149.95. Livingston, a medical sociologist and editor of the 1994 edition of this outstanding handbook, ably addresses the black healthcare crisis in the United States. This revised edition has been expanded from 27 to 47 chapters, many focusing on issues not previously discussed (e.g., the role of the family, rural health, and underrepresentation of blacks in healthcare professions) and encouraging the needed debate. (LJ 9/1/04)

Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. 3 vols. ABC-CLIO. 1500p. ed. by Ooi Keat Gin. ISBN 1-57607-770-5. $285. The term Southeast Asia, claims Ooi (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang), came into use during the Pacific War (1941-45). Today it includes Myanmar (Burma), Thailand (Siam), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor. This A–Z aims to help students and researchers grasp the fragmented region through 800 detailed articles on archaeology, politics, culture, economic transformation, and more. (LJ 3/15/05)

SWANSON, MARK. Atlas of the Civil War, Month by Month: Major Battles and Troop Movements. Univ. of Georgia. 141p. ISBN 0-8203-2658-5. $39.95. The Civil War is the most written-about event in U.S. history and has been the subject of countless reference works. This is the first atlas to depict multiple aspects of the war month by month. Fifty colorful maps, printed on thick stock, lie flat for easy reference and enable users to follow the progression of the war on all fronts. The events of each month—including commanders, statistics, casualties, etc.—are summarized in the text facing each map.

The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States. 3 vols. Greenwood. 1200p. ed. by Benjamin F. Shearer. ISBN 0-313-32703-3. $225. Ever wonder how your state became part of the United States? Those 50 unique stories, based on federal and state sources, are told here by historians. We learn, for example, that it took ten statehood conventions over seven years, plus authorization from its parent state of Virginia, amidst land speculators and even an attempt to make it a Spanish province, before Kentucky was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792. (LJ 12/04)

WALDMAN, CARL OTHERS. Encyclopedia of Exploration. 2 vols. Facts On File. 1440p. ISBN 0-8160-4678-6. $200. While there are many guides to explorers, this installment in Facts On File's "Library of World History" series is possibly the most comprehensive. Volume 1 includes 950 biographies, from Henry Abbott, whose 1855 expedition from the Sacramento Valley to Washington found possible railroad routes, to Swiss mountain climber Matthias Zurbriggen. Volume 2 explores places, technologies, and cultural trends from African exploration to the fur trade and the Yellow River. (LJ 2/1/05)