Reference

Hard on the heels of William K. McNeil’s excellent Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music comes this useful complementary title by Carpenter, a music journalist active in gospel artist public relations. While McNeil examines the gospel genre from its historical foundations in post-Colonial America, Carpenter focuses on African American artists since 1900. A foreword by Edwin Hawkins, best known for his hit record, Oh Happy Day, and an introduction by Mavis Staples, lead singer for the Staple Singers, precede the A-to-Z biographies of more than 650 individuals (e.g., Rev. James Cleveland, Mahalia Jackson) and ensembles in entries ranging from a few lines to several pages in length. Recommended recordings, photos, and excerpts from interviews appear for one-sixth of these entries. Appendixes listing awards, best sellers and chart toppers, trivia Q&As, gospel artist poll results, a brief glossary, an up-to-date bibliography, and an index are also included. The accompanying 14-song CD (Artemis Gospel) “inspired by” the book offers a generous 70 minutes of selections highlighting current popular gospel styles, with a few traditional interpretations thrown in for good measure. Bottom Line Carpenter’s information is for the most part accurate, although more careful editing and less reliance on gossipy hype would have strengthened his title’s value as a reference book (at times it comes across as a fanzine). The alphabetization is inconsistent, so cross references in the index and/or text would have been helpful. Recommended as a bargain for academic and especially public libraries to stand alongside McNeil’s work and where there is interest in African American popular music. [The CD must be ordered on its own at an additional cost.]—Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Novelist and editor Gooden(Who’s Whose?: A No-Nonsense Guide to Easily Confused Words) hopes readers will consult his book before attending their next dinner party so that they can impress friends by strategically injecting non-English words into their conversation. He expands traditional dictionary definitions by offering a “Pretentiousness Index” for words derived from Latin, German, French, and other languages. Each rating is either nil, for words that are well established among most English speakers (e.g., aficionado, antebellum) or ranges from one to three exclamation points to show varying levels of pretense (e.g., “au naturel” and “savant” receive one exclamation point while “au contraire” and “moi” receive three). Along with the rating and its paragraph of discussion, each definition includes a quote from a newspaper or literary source using the word, a pronunciation guide, reference to the word’s original language, and a translation. Weaknesses include a pronunciation guide that does not use consistent, official phonetic symbols and quotes that indicate author or publication name but otherwise lack citations or even dates. The “pretense” discussion incorporates etymology in some entries but not in all, and no bibliography is offered. Bottom Line This resource is less formal and provides fewer entries than either the Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases or The Facts On File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases, but owing to its dominant “Pretentiousness” ratings, it makes for an enjoyable read; Gooden’s opinions about word usage are at once serious and amusing. Recommended for the circulating collections of academic and public libraries.—Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL

The 39 First Ladies are comprehensively covered in these books, both of which are arranged chronologically by term of presidency; use the essay format; are supported by sidebars, text boxes, and personal chronologies listing the basic facts of each woman’s life (e.g., birth and death dates, date of marriage, children); and contain illustrations and an index. In this revised four-volume set from the Schneiders (coauthors, American Women in the Progressive Era), the biographical essays average eight pages—just long enough to give a fair picture of each First Lady, warts and all—and offer resources for further research. Especially interesting is a section following the essays that shares selections from several of the First Ladies’ personal correspondences—some giving advice and encouragement to fellow First Ladies. This second edition, updated through the January 2005 inauguration, also contains helpful information on those women who were not married to presidents but acted as official White House hostesses for many of them as well as on the wives who died before their husbands became President.

Freelance editor Harris’s (One Thousand New York Buildings) book is a strong and affordable complement to the Schneiders’ work, offering information on such interesting topics as the “friends and foes” of the First Ladies. His Fact Book contains 700-plus photographs—far more than does the Schneiders’ book—including 16 pages of wonderful color photos that detail these women as fashion trendsetters throughout history. It provides essentially the same information, with the same amount of historical context, as the Biographical Dictionary but lacks the Schneiders’ strong supporting materials: the transcribed letters and extensive bibliography and endnotes. Bottom Line For general readers simply interested in dipping into this part of presidential history, Harris’s book is a fine choice. It also gives readers many more illustrations for a significantly cheaper price. For students working on assignments and for verification of information through source notes, the Schneiders’ set is the stronger choice. Both works would make for fascinating reading in public libraries; the Biographical Dictionary is also a good choice for high school and undergraduate collections.—Karen Sutherland, Bartlett P.L., IL

Leeming (English & comparative literature, emeritus, Univ. of Connecticut; From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology), who has authored books on various aspects of mythology, many with a specific regional focus, has compiled a resource encompassing the important mythological topics from cultures around the world. This single volume begins with a list of the broad cultural headings—e.g., African, Chinese, Greek—with references to related subjects. The 2000 A-to-Z entries, which cover mythological figures (e.g., Zeus, Inanna), types and motifs (e.g., “the Hero,” “the Quest”), and traditions (e.g., Greek, Native American), include ample cross references. The articles range in length from several pages for the major Greek, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Celtic traditions to shorter entries for particular beliefs, concepts, and characters. Influential mythologists and modern-day philosophies are also covered. Leeming’s introductory essay, “The Nature and Dimensions of Myth,” defines the scope of mythology in articulating a cultural and universal identity. The book is further enhanced by more than 70 black-and-white illustrations as well as several pages of color plates depicting mythological subjects. Following the entries is a series of appendixes that includes Pantheonic charts, a lengthy bibliography, and a thorough index. Bottom Line This useful resource is comparable to Larousse World Mythology (Smithmark, 1989), yet more concise and comprehensive in its coverage. Highly recommended for academic reference collections.—Eloise Hitchcock, Western Carolina Univ. Lib., Cullowhee, NC

In this two-volume work, part of Routledge’s series on the Middle Ages, editor Meri (The Cult of Saints Among Muslims and Jews in Medieval Syria) points out that Westerners tend to think of Islam only as a religion and are unaware of the great civilization that grew from Islam. Hence he saw the need for a work that would present an overview of medieval Islamic civilization to a Western audience of general readers as well as students and specialists. He defines the medieval Islamic time line as running from 622 C.E., which marks the first year of the prophet Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina and the first year of the Islamic calendar, to the 17th century. During the early years of this period, he writes, the West benefited greatly from Islamic advances in mathematics and philosophy as well as from the preservation and transmission to the West of surviving texts of classical civilization. More than 700 signed A-to-Z entries contributed by international scholars and experts explore the scientific, artistic, religious, and cultural developments of Islamic civilization; the importance of interfaith relations; and the connections between Europe and the Islamic world. Indexes appear in both volumes. Bottom Line One could argue that articles on certain topics are too short while others are omitted altogether. Granada’s Alhambra Palace warrants only two pages, for example, while Islamic Spain gets even less. The important Islamic emirate centered in the Spanish city of Saragossa does not get an entry; nor does Saragossa’s Aljafería Palace, a gem of Western Islamic secular architecture. Another factor that might limit accessibility is the encyclopedia’s steep price. These caveats aside, the set is recommended for larger academic and public libraries.— Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L.

This revised and updated resource maintains the 2000 original edition’s chief strengths: the coverage of a huge variety of terms and Oxford’s deep etymological scholarship. Editor and historical lexicographer Knowles (publishing manager, Oxford Quotations Dictionaries) and his staff incorporate two main changes: first, new entries such as “9/11,” “Sunni Triangle,” and “elephant in the room,” as well as entries emphasizing figurative language from literary sources, e.g., “price of admiralty,” and second, a streamlined presentation through the removal of usage quotations, 50 boxed, and some biographical entries. These changes keep this A-to-Z resource in a unique place between traditional etymology dictionary and one-volume encyclopedia. The entry for “Basque,” for example, adds the French background for the name. Similarly, the definition for “Camp David” identifies “David” as President Eisenhower’s grandson. Most definitions are a few sentences long and include no pronunciation guide, grammatical discussion, or suggestions for further reading. Despite the title, nonliterary phrases like the nicknames for each U.S. state, many theological terms, and some scientific terms are also included. Bottom Line Oxford’s broad scope reflects its competition with publishers of the well-known Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, last published in the United Kingdom in its 17th edition by Orion in 2005. The strength of Oxford’s resource remains the etymology incorporated into the entries. Recommended for public and academic libraries, particularly those that did not purchase the first edition.—Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL

This book, created in association with The Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP), has a mission: to raise awareness of the need for great ape conservation efforts and build the political will for further action (royalties from the sale of the book will support these efforts). In Section 1, editors Caldecott, an ecologist and primatologist, and Miles, a biologist with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, introduce the six species of great apes and provide details on distribution, habitat, diet, social and reproductive behavior, population, threats, conservation efforts, and ongoing research. Section 2 discusses the challenges of great ape conservation, conservation measures already in place, and lessons learned so far. And Section 3 takes a close look at each country with a native great ape population. A study of the country’s background and economy, distribution of great ape populations, current legislative and conservation actions, and future conservation strategies gives the reader an understanding of the true scope of the problem. More than 200 full-color photographs and detailed maps provide a visual description of the great apes and their habitats. Essays on relevant issues are displayed in boxes throughout the book, offering a forum for the contributors to state their opinions while the editors stick to the research-supported facts of the text. Bottom Line The Great Ape Project, edited by Paula Cavalieri and Peter Singer, focuses more on animal rights, and another comparative work, Birute Galdikas’s Great Ape Odyssey, primarily discusses each great ape type and the threats to its respective population. The unique feature of the World Atlas is that it compiles both of these aspects and more into one well-organized and comprehensively researched work. While its intent is to raise awareness and promote conservation efforts, it is neither “preachy” nor one-sided. Recommended for academic collections and other libraries where interest warrants.—Debby Emerson, Rochester Regional Lib. Council, Fairport, NY

Glamor or glamour? Glance or glimpse? Graceful or gracious? Ah, the wonderful (im)possibility of the English language: two words may sound the same but be written in an entirely different way, they my derive from the same root but have different meanings, or they may be spelled differently but be used interchangeably. Journalist and communications professor Davidson (who died last year) makes sense of it all in this easy-to-use A-to-Z listing of 2500 entries, demystifying the usage of words to help us express ourselves without sounding ambiguous or plain dull.

Quick: what is the difference between the bear market and the bull market? What about stocks vs. bonds? And what in God’s name does NASDAQ stand for anyway? We all know we should invest our money—and that means doing more than contributing to our 401(K)s (gulp!)—but an alarming number of Americans don’t know the basics of investing. Martz, who has 17 years of brokerage experience under her belt, is on a mission to teach us one term at a time in this handy little A-to-Z.

First published in 2003, this second edition of The Penguin Factfinder is a self-proclaimed “goldmine of facts.” With contributions from hundreds of experts guided by linguist Crystal and boasting one monster of an index, it covers a variety of disciplines organized into areas of knowledge for easier browsing (e.g., history, society, arts and culture, and sports and games). While some entries are unbearably skimpy (e.g., country entries found in the “human geography” section), others provide just the kind of information one needs. Charts and maps abound.

There are poets who speak only to themselves, and then there are poets who also speak to the people. Walt Whitman was and remains the latter. He had a way with words that was at once timeless and ahead of his own time, confirmed by the fact that Leaves of Grass is as popular and revered as ever. But an entire reference book on Whitman? Why not? Browsing through this companion by Oliver (Ernest Hemingway A to Z), one quickly discovers that there is so much more to America’s most celebrated poet than what we think we know.