Selected New Reference Books

"Unlike most African history reference works, this encyclopedia covers the entire African continent, including the sub-Saharan black region, the northern Arab area, and the island nations in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. This work's 1,100 entries offer an eclectic range of biographical, geographical, and historical information. Trying to reverse the European domination of African history writing, the editors sought out many African-born scholars, about half of whom teach in African universities. Entries, arranged alphabetically, cover major geographical areas, states, prominent individuals, and topics. Black-and-white photographs and about 100 historical and contemporary maps enhance the text. Regrettably, the encyclopedia does not include maps of the entire continent, whether current, colonial, or precolonial. It will be no surprise that an encyclopedia of this length and breadth varies in quality. Some entries provide extensive political, cultural, historical, and economic surveys of a country (South Africa), and excellent, lengthy essays cover a time period (the Iron Age), but some topics (Arab involvement in the slave trade) receive sketchy coverage. African American support for African liberation is covered in entries for W. E. B. DuBois and a few others, but this important subject merits its own entry. Alphabetical and thematic lists of entries and the keyword and name index at the end of volume 3 provide access to the set; cross-references and a bibliography after each article enhance the set's reference value. Despite some faults, this work is far superior to Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa, ed. by R. A. Oliver and Michael Crowder (CH, Jun'82) or W. F. Page's "seriously flawed" Encyclopedia of African History and Culture (CH, Apr'02, 39-4324). Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa, ed. by J. O. Vogel and Jean Vogel (CH, Feb'98, 35-3039), an outstanding title, is very specialized and lacks the temporal coverage of the present work."

Reviewed by D. Altschiller, Boston University - for Choice, 1 May 2005.

The latest in the excellent series of encyclopedias on contemporary culture and literature from Routledge, this title contains over 200 entries on major writers, works, literary movements, and terminology. The signed entries are succinct and suplemented by bibliographies. The editors have written a helpful introductory essay on the literary history of Latin American and the Caribbean for this time period which is followed by a lengthy, year-by-year chronology of political events and literary works from 1898 to 2003. A strong addition to the collection.

[MOE]

Contains 1,300 entries, 500 illustrations and maps, and "[c]ontributions from nearly 1,000 distinguished scholars and writers, including journalists, academics, and specialists from museums, industries, and historical societies," and well as "[f]ascinating and little-known facts that rarely appear in history books." As to the last, I discovered that Vermont declared itself the Republic of Vermont in 1777 and acted as a sovereign power for 14 years until achieving statehood in 1791. Unfortunately, the encyclopedia is divided into 22 thematic sections with the entries alphabetical within the sections. However the extenisve index conpensates for this shortcoming. Signed articles. Excellent bibliographies.

[MOE]. Quotes from the Yale University Press website.

"Part of the Scribner Writers Series, this two-volume set investigates the lives, works, and themes of Chicano and Chicana, Cuban, and Dominican writers. Here are extensive, original essays on such well-known writers as Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, and Rudolfo Anaya as well as on important, though less well-known authors as Tino Villanueva and Judith Ortiz Cofer. Special thematic essays also cover important issues in Latino literature, such as the role of music, language, feminism, and history."

The best-edited and best-written series of biocritical essays on important writers. Other titles in this series in Uris reference (unless otherwise noted) are African Writers, Ancient Writers, American Writers, African American Writers, American Nature Writers, Modern American Women Writers, British Writers, European Writers, Latin American Writers, Modern Japanese Writers, Supernatural Fiction Writers, Mystery and Suspense Writers, and Science Fiction Writers (Olin reference only). A master index (Uris Library Reference PN 451 .S35x 1997) covers all the volumes published up to 1998. Search Gale Literary Index, an online index that is part of Literature Resource Center, to find out which volumes in the Writers series contain essays on an author. For instance, essays on Sandra Cisneros appear in American Writers, supplement 7, as well as Latino and Latina Writers. There are also essays in two volumes of the Dictionary of Literary Biography and Contemporary Authors.

[MOE]. Quote from the back cover.