Reference

Battleground: The Media. 2 vols. Greenwood. 2008. 664p. ed. by Robin Andersen & Jonathan Gray. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-313-34167-0. $175. REF

In 1964, Canadian academic Marshall McLuhan declared that the "Medium is the Message." More than 40 years later, the role of media in American life seems even greater. This two-volume collection, a new installment in Greenwood's "Battleground" series edited by Andersen (director, peace & justice studies, Fordham) and Gray (communications & media studies, Fordham), surveys media-related topics from Al-Jazeera to the blogosphere to satirical news shows that have often created controversies. The entries, ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages and including bibliographic references, vary greatly in quality. Some essays are useful and concise (e.g., "Disabilities and the Media" and "Dating Shows," which includes a possibly unique chronology); entries like "Islam in the Media" repeat the oft-cited claims about stereotyping but don't discuss the overwhelmingly negative but seldom examined portrayal of the West and Westerners in the Arab and Muslim media. BOTTOM LINE The quality of this anthology is uneven. While some contributors offer informed essays, and many sidebars are useful, the work suffers from incomplete coverage. The major topic of right-wing talk radio is sparsely mentioned in the entry "shock jocks"; the enormous subject of world cinema is covered in fewer than a dozen page. An optional purchase. [Available electronically through Greenwood Digital Collection online library.]—Donald Altschiller, Boston Univ. Lib.

This update of the fourth edition, published by Thompson Gale in 2005, provides comprehensive essays on every industry recognized by the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Volume 1 covers 459 manufacturing industries in 20 major categories—from "Food & Kindred Products" to "Measuring, Analyzing, & Controlling Instruments"—while Volume 2 covers 545 service and nonmanufacturing industries in nine major categories—from "Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing" to "Public Administration." Each entry also includes the corresponding NAICS code(s) and is made up of numerous features, among them Industry Snapshot, Organization & Structure, Background & Development, Current Conditions, Industry Leaders, Work Force Size, and Suggested Further Readings. At the back of both volumes are two conversion tables and a general index, which allow for cross-references of SIC categories with the NAICS industry codes. The encyclopedia also includes a general index containing alphabetic references from both volumes to companies, trade associations, significant business trends, government agencies, historical figures, and key legislation. Acronyms and variant names are also cross-referenced. BOTTOM LINE Compiled by experienced editors, this unique set is well structured to save valuable research time. Its pricing, however, means that it's not for the weak-hearted or those trapped in a subprime lending dislocation. Recommended for larger academic and business libraries with specialized collections. [This title, as well as the similarly designed Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries and Encyclopedia of Global Industries, is published in print by Grey House under an exclusive license from Gale Cengage, which is making them electronically available through the Gale Virtual Reference platform. For ebook orders and pricing, contact Gale Cengage directly.]—Al Vara, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

Greenwood's "Icons" series continues with two new volumes in the history of music and another exploring the field of evolution study, joining a growing list of Icon sets that range in coverage from business, horror, and hip-hop to forthcoming titles on the American West and sports. Greenwood bills their sets as "best-of" retrospectives, covering highlights within each topic. In keeping with the theme of icons, chosen subjects embody the essential characteristics and have contributed to furtherance of the topic. The methodology is the same across encyclopedias, with entries arranged chronologically so that the ideas build from historical origins to present-day performers or practitioners.

As with other entries in the series, the articles in these three volumes feature a nice mix of scholarly excellence and great reading appeal. The editor/authors were chosen for their breadth of knowledge, and much care was taken to present the topics in a way that provides context. Biographies include a black-and-white photo, and the topical set on evolution is sprinkled with relevant illustrations. Expect to find a time line of significant events, followed by entries with essential historical data and a legacy discussion pointing out the significance of the icon to the genre. Signed articles are accompanied by further reading and interspersed with chronologies and interesting sidebars. BOTTOM LINE These sets are excellent for students requiring authoritative studies yet popular enough in writing style to allow for leisure reading. Recommended as solid encyclopedias of important figures, so purchase as interest warrants for school, public, and college library reference collections. [Available electronically through Greenwood Digital Collection online library.]—Kelli Perkins, Herrick Dist. Lib., Holland, MI

This four-volume revision of Facts On File's popular three-volume Encyclopedia of American Literature (2002) contains more than 1000 A-to-Z entries covering topics from the Colonial period through 2007. Updates include reworked and expanded bibliographies and chronologies, some 100 study-guide sections on major authors, 300-plus black-and-white illustrations, and author interviews. Written by Imbarrato (English, Minnesota State Univ., Moorhead; Traveling Women: Narrative Visions of Early America) and eight other scholars, the entries cover various writers, literary characters, historical figures, documents, literary movements, genres, and styles and range from half a page to three pages in length. They are organized into the following chronological volumes: "Settlement to the New Republic, 1607–1815," "The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895," "Into the Modern, 1896–1945," and "The Contemporary World, 1946 to the Present." Each volume contains an index, and there is also a general list of entries for the entire set. Resources offering similar coverage include the more concise and authoritative Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature (2004), Gale Cengage's forthcoming ebook version of its Contextual Encyclopedia of American Literature (December 2008), and the comprehensive Bloom's Literary Reference Online (Facts On File). BOTTOM LINE This revised edition is an adequate print resource for high school and public libraries, but libraries with sufficient budgets may want to contemplate the aforementioned e-reference options owing to such advantages as printing capability, Boolean searching, remote access, and currency. Libraries familiar with the 2002 edition may want to update their collection with this edition. [Available in print only.]—Bobbie Wrinkle, McCracken Cty. P.L., Paducah, KY

Edited by Smith (history, Rutgers, Univ.; The Gender of History: Men, Women, and Historical Practice), these four volumes combine scholarship from the relatively new fields of world history and women's history to produce a thoughtful, thorough, and accessible survey of women in world history to which some 900 researchers from 50-plus countries have contributed. The nearly 1250 entries range in size from single-page biographies to in-depth analyses with multiple subsections, and each conclude with a selected bibliography. The entries follow one of three approaches to world history: geographic, focusing on governments from prehistory to the present; comparative, emphasizing universal experiences such as disability and religion; and connective, exploring the interactions among peoples through experiences such as migration and globalization. A topical index clarifies and concretizes these approaches by dividing the entries into nine conceptual categories, e.g., "Geography and Ethnicity" and "Comparative Culture and Society." Additionally, there are 650 line illustrations, a detailed chronology of women's history, and a comprehensive index. The work's breath and depth make it a perfect candidate for keyword searching and an excellent addition to Oxford's Digital Reference Shelf online platform. If the online version is purchased as part of the Premium Collection, its biographical content can be supplemented by cross-searching all other titles in that collection. BOTTOM LINE Smith does an admirable job of summarizing and synthesizing a vast academic literature in clear, jargon-free language that will engage scholars and general readers alike. Because the biographical entries are intentionally brief and selective, libraries will want to complement the print version with a similarly strong biographical reference work, such as the 17-volume Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia (Yorkin, 2002). Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. [e-ISBN 978-0-1953-3786-0; available electronically through Oxford Digital Reference Shelf. For more information on this title and all its purchasing options, visit www.oxford-womenworldhistory.com.]—Nadine Cohen, Univ. of Georgia Lib., Athens

Whereas most reference works on gay and lesbian figures concentrate on their contributions to politics and literature, independent scholar Prono's work instead examines gay and lesbian contributions to popular culture. His approximately 100 scholarly yet readable cross-referenced A-to-Z entries, each typically ranging from two to four pages in length, cover mostly biography (e.g., Rock Hudson, Tennessee Williams, Melissa Etheridge), though some thematic subjects (e.g., AIDS, the Harlem Renaissance, independent cinema) are also included. Biographical entries include date of birth and, if appropriate, death; a paragraph noting the subject's achievements; a longer biographical essay; and a section with references for further reading. Subject entries include an essay and section with references for further reading. The first time a subject is cross-referenced within an entry, it appears in boldface text to draw the reader's attention. Much of the material Prono covers can be found in other reference resources, but these resources might not necessarily emphasize the gay/lesbian aspect of their subject matter (e.g., a biographical entry for Judy Garland might not mention her large gay following). BOTTOM LINE Having in one place all these entries emphasizing the subject's relevance to the gay and lesbian community could benefit the student wanting to browse possible research topics. This is also enjoyable to read from cover to cover. The one drawback is that all the entries were written and selected by a single author; the volume would be greatly improved were it expanded to include more contributors. That warning aside, $85 is not a large sum to spend on a reference work that will help balance a reference collection and will appeal to a wide audience. Recommended for all school and college libraries. [Available electronically through Greenwood Digital Collection online library; consider also Greenwood's Pop Culture Universe database, scheduled to launch later this year.]—Mark Alan Williams, Library of Congress

Edited by independent scholar Frank and including the work of more than 100 other scholars, this two-volume set seeks—as its introduction states—to illuminate "how women survived, contributed to, undermined and lived through the Civil War." Volume 1 begins with some dozen in-depth contextual essays, each focused on a broad theme (e.g., African American women, female spies, wartime employment). Although these useful entries are included in the index, their placement upfront ensures that they will likely be overlooked by newer scholars simply searching alphabetically. The set then presents, in alphabetical order, 300-plus shorter entries falling into two categories: biographical (e.g., abolitionists Julie Ward Howe and Jane Grey Swisshelm) and thematic (e.g., imprisonment, treasury girls, urban women). The entries are signed and include both See also references and lists of references for further reading. The volumes conclude with a cumulative index that, while solid, would have been of greater benefit to students and researchers if it had also listed these women by role or occupation (e.g., warrior, nurse, spy). Because such organization is lacking, users must know a woman's name in order to locate this type of identifying information. Rounding out the book are a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, a chronology of Civil War events, and original documents, including letters and diaries. BOTTOM LINE Despite the drawbacks cited, this is an excellent addition for placement on the shelf alongside Judith E. Harper's Women During the Civil War: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2007). Recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries. [e-ISBN 978-1-85109-605-3; call ABC-CLIO for e-pricing. Also available electronically through Ebook Library, MyiLibrary, ebrary, and NetLibrary.]—Lura Sanborn, St. Paul's Sch. Lib., NH

Libraries may find this one-volume dictionary a bit pricey, but its quality warrants its consideration for purchase. Given her scholarly background (she has a doctoral degree in art history) and her specialization in the early modern era, Zirpolo's grasp of her subject is expected; her ability to explain this period in terms that undergraduates and nonmajors will understand is extraordinary. The volume begins with a 30-page chronology of the Renaissance, followed by a nearly 50-page introduction. The introduction is reason enough to purchase this title; art history professors may wish to assign it as required reading for the thorough yet concise treatment of each of the suberas. The largest part of the volume is the 462-page dictionary, with its one-paragraph to one-page entries on the major artists, works, techniques, patrons, themes, and influential historical events of the period. Cross-references are in boldface, which makes following a topic quite easy. Although this work necessarily focuses on Italy, it also includes information on the art of this period in other European countries. An extensive bibliography completes the volume. BOTTOM LINE The few black-and-white illustrations are not of high quality and add little to the text, but given the importance of the Renaissance in art and the excellence of Zirpolo's text, even small libraries with limited budgets will want to consider this title for purchase. Highly recommended for all public libraries and for all academic libraries supporting art history programs. [Available in print only.]—Rosanne M. Cordell, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend