Reference Reviews, July 2011
Jul 15, 2011EDUCATION
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Vol. 17: Education. Univ. of North Carolina. 2011. 400p. ed. by Clarence L. Mohr. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780807834916. $45; pap. ISBN 9780807872017. $24.95. REF
This is the latest in a monographic series begun in 2006 with the intent of updating and expanding the well-received Encyclopedia of Southern Culture (Univ. of North Carolina, 1989), also sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. It “places education in the broader context of southern society and regional cultural identity,” according to the introduction, and features a collection of topical essays (alphabetically arranged) that precede a set of encyclopedic entries devoted to people, places, and things in Southern education. For example, topical essays in the section “Urban and Metropolitan Colleges and Universities (Post 1945)” are complemented by entries for Rice University and Southern Methodist University. Likewise, a topical essay on military schools is buttressed by encyclopedic entries on the Citadel and the Virginia Military Institute. Slightly weighted toward higher education and toward the 20th century (a broader perspective would have required multiple volumes), it includes references to the general history of education (of all levels) in the Southern United States. The series is edited by well-respected scholar of Southern culture Charles Reagan Wilson, editor of the original Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Volume editor Mohr (history, Univ. of South Alabama) is an equally respected scholar of Southern history and education. The 100-plus essays and entries are all signed by contributors, and most include references. The volume also includes an extensive index. BOTTOM LINE This excellent (and singular) source of scholarship on education from a unique cultural perspective will be a welcome addition to academic libraries, especially in those institutions with strong education programs.—Sarah W. Sutton, Texas A&M Univ.–Corpus Christi
LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
Dilevko, Juris & others. Contemporary World Fiction: A Guide to Literature in Translation. Libraries Unlimited: ABC-CLIO. 2011. 526p. index. ISBN 9781591583530. $85. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
This is an excellent introductory reference work to contemporary world literature not originally published in English. Dilevko, Keren Dali, and Glenda Garbutt, all affiliated with the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, make no attempt to provide an encyclopedic overview but rather present a solid groundwork for both the casual reader and the academic student. This single volume has a number of strengths and a few minor shortcomings. First, each geographic section begins with an excellent bibliographic essay and a list of consulted sources. The book is well indexed by author, title, and translator. Over 1000 authors are covered, with primary arrangement by language in which the author wrote. Authors whose work was mainly published before 1980 are excluded, although there are some exceptions. Each included book title features a brief description, a subject keyword, related translated titles by the author, and a list of sources considered for the annotation. It does not have an index by genre, so the reader looking for mysteries originally written in Japanese, for example, will need to scan the Japanese literature section. Neither books for children nor nonfiction books are included; novels and some short story collections made the cut. The authors, realizing that this work is but a snapshot at the time of publication, also include several free websites for current information as well as guides to other print resources. BOTTOM LINE Highly recommended for the casual reader wishing to discover international contemporary fiction and for students of literature.—Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston
The Homer Encyclopedia. 3 vols.Wiley-Blackwell. 2011. 1160p. ed. by Margalit Finkelberg. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781405177689. $495. REF
Though there are various handbooks addressing aspects of the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as general classical dictionaries and encyclopedias, this is the first comprehensive encyclopedia devoted to Homer. Finkelberg (classics, Tel Aviv Univ.) commissioned over 1600 entries from many of the leading figures in classics, including Christopher Gill, Gregory Nagy, and Froma Zeitlin. The entries range over topics related to the Iliad, Odyssey, other epic cycles, the Homeric Hymns, the Argonautica, and the oral traditions, with articles on all the individual characters; linguistic and stylistic matters; social, religious, and cultural artifacts; and institutions. There are also articles on various archeological, geographical, biological, and historical topics, as well as entries addressing Homeric scholarship over the ages and the reception of Homer. The coverage of the Homeric material is solid, though that on reception has some striking omissions, for instance, no mention of Fénelon’s Télémaque (1699) or Derek Walcott’s Omeros (1990). Each article is written by a specialist and includes a brief bibliography. The three volumes are well printed and well bound, though the illustrations are not always well reproduced. BOTTOM LINE The coverage is thorough, and the articles are accessible to the general reader while maintaining a scholarly sophistication that makes them useful for the specialist. A handy and valuable resource for any serious student of Homer.—T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong Atlantic State Univ., Savannah
RELIGION
Douglas, J.D. & Merrill C. Tenney. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary. rev. ed.Zondervan. 2011. c.1584p. ed. by Moisés Silva. illus. maps. index. ISBN 9780310229834. $29.99. REF
Zondervan has completely revised its previous New International Bible Dictionary by Douglas, itself a revision of the earlier Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary by Tenney (both now deceased). This newest incarnation updates every article and has over 1800 new entries. Editor Silva (The Essential Bible Dictionary) is also the editor of the recent Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, and this work “may be regarded, to some extent, as an abbreviated version of its multivolume cousin,” according to the introduction. Because of the extensive revision, articles are no longer signed, and there are no bibliographies for entries; the reader is encouraged to investigate the longer Encyclopedia for further information. In all, there are over 7200 articles with intratext cross-references; 500 full-color charts, photographs, and illustrations; and 75 full-color maps. Also included are a pronunciation index, a list of abbreviations, and an index of scripture. Although inexpensive and handsomely produced, this title, like TheZondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, is geared toward a conservative Christian audience. Jesus Christ is referred to throughout as “our Lord,” and his divinity is unquestioned. The New Testament books “have brought untold blessing where they have been received and obeyed,” and the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit to “give God’s message to men and women.” This work, therefore, may not be appropriate for libraries seeking a more academic or ecumenical resource. For them, the scholarly Anchor Bible Dictionary (Doubleday, 1992) or the more layperson-friendly New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon, 2009) would be more appropriate. BOTTOM LINE Recommended for church libraries, parochial schools, and Christian theological libraries serving a conservative Christian audience.—Amanda Sprochi, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
SCIENCES
Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather. 2d ed. 3 vols.Oxford Univ. 2011. 1488p. ed. by Stephen H. Schneider & Terry L. Root. illus. maps. bibliog. ISBN 9780199765324. $450. REF
The first edition of this title was well reviewed and became an LJ Best Reference of 1996 selection. The competition is improving, however, and this second edition was not reconceptualized. There are new entries—e.g., “Equity and Distribution” and “Tradable Permits”—and the editors include more social and policy dimension articles. However, most of the older entries among the 330-plus have been given only a new paragraph or a few sentences. The alphabetical entries are written at a college level, predominantly by experts in the field. The bibliographies are updated but not completely, and there are few website references. Illustrations are informative but monochromatic. Nobel laureate Schneider (interdisciplinary environmental studies, Stanford Univ.) died during final preparation; the work was completed by his colleagues Michael D. Mastrandrea and Root (both, Stanford Univ. Woods Inst. for the Environment). BOTTOM LINE Although these volumes are a serious, complete treatment, examining them makes clear how much the presentation of reference books has changed in recent years. Compare the graphical explanation in The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide (Univ. of California, 2010) or the 540 short essays and many embellishments in Steven Dutch’s Encyclopedia of Global Warming (Salem, 2010). Neither is as complete as Schneider’s encyclopedia, but, to quote the 1996 LJ reviewer, “Buy where needed for specialists and serious researchers.” —Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., CUNY
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Icons of American Cooking. Greenwood. (Icons). 2011. c.314p. ed. by Victor W. Geraci & Elizabeth S. Demers. photogs. index. ISBN 9780313381324. $85. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
Part of the “Greenwood Icons” series, this volume takes a brief and basic look at 26 food standouts (the preface says 24, but two of the chapters cover two people). The series has three requirements for inclusion: “challenge the status quo, influence on millions, and impact history.” While most of the topics are people, Geraci (associate director, Regional Oral History Office, Univ. of California, Berkeley) and Demers (senior editor, Potomac Bks.) also include brand icon Betty Crocker and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chapters are arranged alphabetically. Running approximately ten pages in length, each chapter generally follows a template that includes information on the topic’s early life (or creation, in the case of Crocker), career path, challenges, and accomplishments. The 18 contributors, nearly all from the food industry, do a good job of outlining the basics in an accessible and easy-to-read fashion. The title, however, is a bit misleading as it implies the icons included would be American, but several are not, and the impact on American foodways is not always clear. The work would be strengthened with a section specifically explaining why the icon was included in a book on American cooking, especially since this is an introductory text. The end of each chapter includes a list of further readings, and some feature a bibliography of the figure’s work. Interspersed throughout are sidebars on a variety of subtopics. Photos and an index add value. BOTTOM LINE This basic volume on some of the more influential entities in the food business today is accessible for high school students and undergraduates; a good option for large public libraries. The clear strength of the work is in the additional readings and the coverage of lesser-known topics such as Crocker, the CIA, and Chuck Williams of Williams-Sonoma. —Lisa A. Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib.
Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundries. 3 vols. Greenwood. (Icons). 2011. c.1122p. ed. by Matthew C. Whitaker. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313376429. $265. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
Edited by Whitaker (director, Ctr. for the Study of Race & Democracy, Arizona State Univ.), this volume brings together 100 entries on, e.g., persons, colleges, military groups, Negro baseball leagues, Motown Records, and the Apollo Theater in the United States. Each of these signed entries includes further readings and, where available, a photograph of the subject. Forty-seven scholars provide detailed explorations of the lives and legacies of these icons, whether individuals or groups, organized alphabetically. Each volume includes a full table of contents, and the third volume features a lengthy index along with a selected bibliography culled from the individual chapters. Lacking in each chapter are subheadings to identify particular parts, although the writing styles encourage reading the chapters from start to finish. Averaging ten pages in length, each entry is sufficient to use as a starting point in high school and college and for middle school and upper-elementary students seeking biographical information on African Americans from the 19th century through today, including separate chapters on Barack and Michelle Obama. BOTTOM LINE Well-known names are included in this set, making it useful as a starting point or a one-stop location for ideas on a topic for a lengthier paper, but it does not provide information on lesser-known individuals, groups, or organizations—as the title indicates, the coverage is of icons, not a broader cross section.—Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Queensborough Community Coll. Lib., Bayside, NY
Venable, Shannon L. Gold: A Cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. 2011. 315p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313384301. $85. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
Writer and educator Venable has here compiled some 130 wide-ranging alphabetically arranged entries under several major subjects relating to this precious metal, such as, “Adornment,” “Art,” “Money and Finance,” “Events,” “Health,” “People,” “Folklore,” “Religion,” and “Technology.” Readable and interesting, the articles are global in scope and generally fall between one and three pages in length. Time period coverage ranges from prehistory to the present day. Example entries include “Bullion,” “El Dorado,” “Exchange Rates,” “Filigree,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” and “Yellow Brick Road.” Cross-references appear within the article text in bold; See also references are included at the end of an article, followed by suggested further readings. Quotes and images from primary-source materials are likewise included throughout. Of note, this is the only volume listed in both LOC and OCLC with the following subject headings: “Gold—Social aspects—History—Encyclopedias” and “Goldwork—History—Encyclopedias.” BOTTOM LINE Intriguing, surprisingly addictive, and quite likely the only reference work on this topic. Appropriate for larger public and academic libraries and where there is a need/interest.—Lura Sanborn, St. Paul’s Sch. Lib., Concord, NH
SHORT TAKES
America’s Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan. ABC-CLIO. 2011. 534p. ed. by James H. Willbanks. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781598843934. $85. REF
Willbanks (Abandoning Vietnam ) brings together page-long profile essays by 75 subject specialists that open with relevant birth, branch, and conflict data on honorees. Each entry is followed by a resource list, while a 17-page bibliography offers a springboard to further research avenues. A quick reference segment includes a complete list of award recipients, a two-page list of double-award winners, and a totals chart, organized by conflict and branch. This volume updates and significantly expands more branch-focused guides like Barrett Tillman’s 2006 monograph, Heroes: U.S. Army Medal of Honor Recipients.
Center on International Cooperation. Annual Review of Global Peace Operations, 2011. 6th ed. Lynne Rienner. 2011. 318p. illus. index. ISBN 9781588267689. $49.95; pap. ISBN 9781588267931. $27.50. REF
Compiled by the Center on International Cooperation (part of New York University) and approved by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, this snapshot of global instabilities offers detailed analyses of the major 2010 ground missions and strategy reforms initiated by the UN, nation states, and regional coalitions. Fully updated, it eliminates some previously included efforts, like the UN mission in Burundi, now categorized as political. A world map, annotated with 2010 active peacekeeping sites, opens the book. Essay-style, by-site mission analyses follow, along with charts and graphs of operation statistics. A vital reference for peace and conflict studies and global politics collections.
Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife. 3 vols. ABC-CLIO. 2011. c.1305p. ed. by Jonathan H.X. Lee & Kathleen M. Nadeau. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313350665. $265. REF
Lee (Asian American studies, San Francisco State Univ.) and Nadeau (anthropology, California State Univ., San Bernardino) divide this three-volume set into 25 ethnic and cultural variants comprising Asian American identity. A chapter is devoted to each group and includes thought-provoking essays by 177 internationally diverse field scholars, who wed folkloric tales with modern and contemporary outlooks, ranging from food and music to salient figure profiles and vernacular speech. This fusion of root beliefs and recent attitude shifts allows for a very advanced understanding of each culture as it is now. Each essay is followed by a resource list, and a longer bibliography closes the book. A compelling, forward-looking resource.
Far North Tales: Stories from the Peoples of the Arctic Circle. Libraries Unlimited: ABC-CLIO. (World Folklore). 2011. 291p. ed. by Kira Van Deusen. tr. from various Arctic languages by Bonnie C. Marshall. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781591587613. $40. REF
Translator Marshall (translator, The Snow Maiden and Other Russian Tales ) and editor Van Deusen (The Flying Tiger: Women Shamans and Storytellers of the Amur ) present 85 folk tales and creation stories from the Arctic regions. In the introduction, they offer valuable delineation of indigenous cultures. Extensive explanation of traditional language, ethnicity, beliefs, customs, and subsistence facilitate greater understanding of the stories presented. Organized into seven thematic chapters, the stories are attributed to a specific people. A glossary, traditional bibliography, and web-based resource list close the book. A fascinating reference for folklore and cultural studies collections.
Gregg, Susan. The Complete Encyclopedia of Angels: A Guide to 200 Celestial Beings To Help, Heal, and Assist You in Everyday Life. 2d ed. Fair Winds: Quayside. 2011. 320p. illus. index. ISBN 9781592334667. pap. $17.99. REF
This book was first published in 2008 as The Encyclopedia of Angels, Spirit Guides and Ascended Masters . Apart from the reassignment of all figures to the larger, somewhat imprecise category “angels,” little other difference is evident. Despite the title, it does not include fallen angels; however, the book’s encouraging premise makes their inclusion inappropriate. Each alphabetized spiritual figure receives a page-long profile, including—when relevant—attributed quotes and invocation tips. Charming and accessible for New Age and self-help collections without the original edition.
Piper, Ross. Pests: A Guide to the World’s Most Maligned, Yet Misunderstood Creatures. Greenwood. 2011. c.282p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313384264. $55. REF
Independent scholar Piper (Extinct Animals: An Encyclopedia of Species That Have Disappeared During Human History ) offers an enlightening look at a broad range of vermin, from fuzzy rabbits to nausea-inducing nematodes. Each of the seven chapters is devoted to a specific taxonomic phylum and further divided alphabetically by popular name. These segments engagingly and accessibly explain species activity and impact, while incorporating enlarged and detailed black-and-white photographs. Sidebars offer comprehensive species lists or additional information on unusual pest traits. Further reading lists follow both chapter segments and sidebar texts in this wonderfully vivid and highly informative text.
Reno, Frank D. Arthurian Figures of History and Legend: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. 2011. c.272p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786444205. pap. $39.95. REF
Amid a raft of Arthurian literature—from period source references to discussions of legacy—Reno ( Historic King Arthur ) offers a guide with both scholarly rigor and popular appeal. Through meticulous research, he has profiled the objects, locations, characters, and actual historical figures related to Arthurian legend, including those with only tenuous associations. While this is a valuable literary resource and sophisticated character crib sheet, it is intended to facilitate the separation of fact from fiction. Alphabetized entries of various lengths reveal alternate name spellings and the subject’s contributions to Arthuriana. Shorthand bibliographic references close each entry. Essential for literary and Britannia collections.
Wood, Rocky. Stephen King: A Literary Companion. McFarland. (Literary Companions). 2011. 197p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786458509. pap. $39.95. REF
Freelance writer Wood (Stephen King: The Non-Fiction ) has assembled an alphabetized primer on Stephen King’s finished and incomplete short stories, screenplays, and novels. Alphabetized entries detail specific works and characters. Each entry also discusses the origin of the work and the reappearance of characters or related themes elsewhere. Engaging and informative, this essential reference for horror and fantasy collections complements Bev Vincent’s more biographical Stephen King Illustrated Companion . —Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Libs., Washington, DC
