Encyclopedias

//**American Countercultures: an encyclopedia of nonconformists, alternative lifestyles and radical ideas in U.S. history**.**M.E. Sharpe, 2009**// This encyclopedia is divided by topic. The introduction gives a great explaination for counter culture, "a movement that stands in oppostion to the conventional products of human work and thought. It is a culture in its own right but one whose core values and lifestyle stand outside the mainstream and that actively or implicitly seeks to change the status quo". The book offers the topic finder pages divided into such topics as; arts and artisits, biographies, civil rights, consumer/media, cultural, lifestyles, and literature. I believe this to be a great addition to any high school library. Further readings are listed within each topic. A country by country analysis of the approach to human rights as well as examinaiton of such topics as torture, slavery asylum, genocide, freedom of the press and the right to education. Divided into two sections: Countries and Issues & Individuals; provides a brief outline and details about the issues. Appendices provide 2 sets of resources: documentary collection and human rights organizations. Also includes photos and maps. A comprehensive four volume set of encyclopdias. The source has three introduction chapters that put the conflicts in a broader context. The articles are each five to ten pages and include dates, maps, historical background of the conflict. Each entry has three sections: introduction essays on the causes of the conflict, descriptions of various diplomatic efforts and discussions of conflicts that changed the course of late 20th century history. //The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World Geography with Complete World Atlas// This encyclopedia has bright, colorful pages that appeal to children. There is a section on Internet Safety and the websites used in the book are regularly reviewed by Usborne editors. The Table of Contents is separated by: The Planet, Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Rivers and Oceans, Weather, Climate, EcoSystems, People of the World, Continents, and Maps. There is a "Fact File" section that contains definitions of the different types of geographers (biogeographers, mineralogist, urban geographers, etc.). It also contains brief, single paragraph descriptions of famous scientists and geographers who have "contributed to our understanding of how the Earth and its processes work, and explored other aspects of geography." There are geography related world records, information about time zones, sky maps, measurements, descriptions of types of government, and a gazetteer of the 193 independent states of the world. There is a glossary of terms, a map index, and a general index.
 * Anita Cellucci - Encyclopedias**
 * //Human Rights Encyclopedia. M.E. Sharpe, 2000.//**
 * //Encyclopdia of conflicts since World War II. 2nd edition. M.E. Sharpe, 2007.//**
 * Melanie Patterson - Encyclopedias**

//The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History// Just like the encyclopedia above, this volume has bright, colorful pages that appeal to children. There is a section on Internet Safety and the websites used in the book are regularly reviewed by Usborne editors. The Table of Contents is organized by time period: Prehistoric World, Ancient World, Medieval World, and The Last 500 Years. There are world time lines, complete with pictures of contemporaries and events. There is also a glossary and general index.

//World Book Encyclopedia// (2003) This encyclopedia set is 26 volumes, with an Index and special volume called "Focus on Terrorism." This small volume contains encyclopedia articles and special reports ("The Attacks of September 11," etc.). This is my go-to encyclopedia to start research with my students. It is comprehensive and reliable. There are more up-to-date editions, but the cost is prohibitive ($1,000+). //Encyclopedia of Terrorism//, by Cindy C. Combs and Martin Slann, published in 2003 by Checkmark Books. The book is organized alphabetically and features brief articles about people, places, events and terms relevant to terrorism. For example, one page features articles on the Khmer Rouge, Ayatollah Khomeini, Kim Jong Il, and the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. Obviously this is a sensitive topic (and some may wonder about the inclusion of Kim Jong Il) but as a starting place, students may find it useful. The book also includes a comprehensive appendix covering "major acts of terrorism" in capsule descriptions. However, I would hesitate some considering how much terrorism has changed since just 2003.
 * Michael Lavieri -- Encyclopedias**

//Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults//, edited by Kirk H. Beetz and Suzanne Niemeyer and published in 1991 by Walton Beacham. The book (which is multivolume) is organized by title -- though one problem is that the table of contents does not include page numbers, so it may be difficult to navigate. Some titles include //The Martian Chronicles//, //The Once and Future King//, //Number the Stars// and //White Fang//. Each entry includes the following sections: About the Author, Overview (a summary), Setting, Themes and Characters, Literary Qualities, Social Sensitivity, Topics for Discussion, Ideas for Reports and Papers, and a list of references to articles about the books.

//The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama//, edited by Stanley Hochman, and published by McGraw-Hill in 1984. The five-volume set covers the plays, playwrights, actors, and places relevant to its topic. The section on Shakespeare is particularly elaborate, offering synopses of all his plays and (like with every page) many black and white pictures of the plays in performance.
 * Mary Gaeta - 3 Favorite Encyclopedias**

Arlon, Penelope. //DK First Animal Encyclopedia//. New York, NY: DK Pub., 2004. The encyclopedia is divided into 5 sections (Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians, Creepy Crawlers, and Fish. The books also contains an Introduction and, at the end of the book, a reference section with amazing animal facts. For example, the sailfish can swim faster than the cheetah can run. This encyclopedia does not have a dictionary arrangement. Instead, the book groups similar animals together (Burrowers, Small and Cunning, and On the Hoof). The book has wonderful pictures to accompany its very brief entries. Also, the book has a question and answer on every page. The younger students really enjoy browsing though this book to learn about elephants, tigers, or other animals.

//World Book Encyclopedia 2003//. It is the encyclopedia that I grew up with and relied on in school. To this day, I love to browse through the pages and look at all the pictures. It contains so many wonderful pictures/illustrations. The entries are easily comprehended by a majority of the students. Many of my 3rd - 6th grade students are reading or browsing the //World Book// Encyclopedia for fun and they are really enjoying it. //World Book// is a good choice for a basic encyclopedia set for a K-8 library.

//The Civil War Society's Encyclopedia of the Civil War.// New York: Wings, 1996. This book contains over 250 entries regarding the Civil War. The entries are arranged alphabetically and the majority of entries range from ½ a page to 2 pages. This is a good encyclopedia for someone browsing for information on the Civil War. It is also useful for our 8th grade students to use this encyclopedia to browse through and find a topic for their research paper on the Civil War. It also contains a 9 page Source and Further Reading List at the end of the book.


 * - 3 Favorite Encyclopedias**

Hendrickson, Robert. //The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins//. New York: Facts on File, 1997. Print. While this resource is organized in dictionary arrangement (alphabetically) and does contain content related to dictionaries, I do believe this to be a one-volume encyclopedia. In it are nearly 10,000 entries on the origins of words and phrases – many which would be considered as slang. But it is a unique resource; understanding the origins of a term or phrase is not always evident in a dictionary, and it is inclusive of words/phrases used in non-American cultures that are helpful for those studying English/Irish literature. My one concern with this resource is that it is, in my view, not appropriate for the elementary school library. There is an over-abundance of explicit and suggestive expressions contained within that, while informative, would be better addressed at a high-school level.

King, David C. //Children's Encyclopedia of American History//. New York: DK Publ., 2006. Print. I love this encyclopedia, especially for one of the reasons stated in the lecture: development of keyword lists. While elementary students love to access the multimedia associated with American history topics that is readily available in online resources, it is a good idea to utilize a print resource like this one to control the scope of their introductory knowledge to a topic. Once they have a base concept of the terms and context, they can move to explore the numerous online resources. One difference about this encyclopedia is that it is arranged chronologically (opposed to alphabetically), but it consistently devotes a two page spread to each theme and plenty of graphic-rich content easily understandable for an elementary audience.

//Heinemann First Encyclopedia//. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2006. Print. This was an encyclopedia set I found in my reference section that was (for some reason) never cataloged, but I really like it. The reference states that it is geared for ages 4-8, and all of the encyclopedia I examined, it would be my first choice to use in introducing encyclopedias to first/second graders. There are 12 volumes with one page equally devoted to each entry topic, along with many pictures illustrations and an easy-reading level. Especially helpful for the teacher, the set includes a volume with many fact-finding activities to help orient students to the organization and layout of encyclopedias as reference tools.


 * Emmy Garr - Encyclopedias**

//The Encyclopedia// //Americana, International Edition//, Editor in Mark Cummings, published in 2002. I wanted to include a general, current encyclopedia in the list because although the specialized encyclopedias are useful for specific assignments or interests, it is this type of general encyclopedia that students will likely reference most frequently. I prefer this work over the //World Book// because this is written at a higher reading level that’s more appropriate and sometimes even challenging for high school students. Some entries have a helpful follow-up bibliography. My only concern about this volume is ts age; at over ten years old there are outdated elements. However, out of the three full sets of general encyclopedias my library has, this is the most appropriate for the target population’s academic needs and interests.

//Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Literature//, various authors (depending upon volume/topic), published 2009. Titles in this series include //Encyclopedia of Jewish-American Literature, Encyclopedia of Asian-American Literature,// and //Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature//. Each volume begins with a survey of that type of literature that reviews major themes, trends, and the history of the group and its literature. The brief survey is followed by alphabetized entries of the group’s authors and works; each entry has its own bibliography. At the end there is a primary source bibliography and a secondary source bibliography, making this a helpful resource for students who are continuing on to more in-depth research. The entries are arranged by both author name and title of the work, which is incredibly convenient for users; they have two options for finding information.

//Encyclopedia of// //Conflicts Since World War II//, editor James Ciment, published in 1999. This work is split into four volumes; the first volume looks at various categories of conflicts in order to provide a broad background of the nature of these issues in the past 65 years; it also contains extensive regional maps, and the beginning of the alphabetized entries about conflicts (Afghanistan to Burundi). Subsequent volumes continue the alphabetized conflict entries. The writing is thorough and age­-appropriate for high school students, and contains bibliographies at the end of each entry. The information is fairly up to date, though because it was published in 1999 lacks the enormous issue of September 11, 2001 and all that followed. However, this is a fantastic resource because it fills a need in the history curriculum: contemporary world history. Every history teacher I’ve spoken with (including the high school history teacher I’m married to!) complains that they never make it to contemporary times by the end of the school year, though standardized tests like the AP might ask about this topic. So this encyclopedia can be a piece of the puzzle that helps teachers and students fill in that gap, even in the brief way that encyclopedia entries can provide.

Mary M. Wood - 3 Favorite Encyclopedias
**1. Cavendish, Richard, C. A. Burland, and Brian Innes. //Man, Myth & Magic:// //the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology// , **//**Religion, and the**// **Unknown** //**. Vol. 17. New York: M. Cavendish, 1995. Print**. // A wonderfully well written and lavishly illustrated tour of the mythological and religious world. This 20 volume encyclopedia set covers topics from all the worlds major mythologies and religions. Volume 1 contains a great bibliography, and the topics for each volume are listed at the beginning of the particular volume. Also, in volume 1 there is a content listing for each of the 20 volumes.

An incredibly comprehensive text on the American Civil War. With three of America’s best historians of this period on it’s editorial board. Detailed information on all the people, battles, home front activities, and diplomatic relations from the period. Each entry in the text is followed with a substantial list of primary and secondary sources for further reading on the topic.
 * 2. Heidler, David Stephen, Jeanne T. Heidler, and David J. Coles. //Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a Political, Social, and// Military History //. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2000. Print. //**

This one volume encyclopedia is written by two active Native American scholars. It includes over 15,000 years of inventions and innovations developed by the Native peoples of the Americas. These include developing a sophisticate agriculture that produced 75% of varieties of the food grown in the world today. Some of their inventions range for almanacs to pharmacology. The book contains an A-Z list of entries, Appendices on Tribes, and maps, a glossary, chronology, entries by geographical cultural area and and the best part, a bibliography for further reading.
 * 3. Keoke, Emory Dean., and Kay Marie. Porterfield. //Encyclopedia of// //American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of// //Inventions and Innovations// ****. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2002. Print.**

**3 Favorite Encyclopedias – Stacia Frederick**

1. __Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times__, David Rubel, 1994. The story of the United States is told through its presidents. Each president has “Personal Statistics” listed such as birth date, birthplace, death date, political party, vice president, first lady, children, and nickname. There is a page for each year beginning in 1789 (George Washington) and ending in 1994 (William Clinton). Retelling the story of the United States by one page per year is “just a useful way to give a sense of time as it passes.” The inside columns of each page contain events happening within the U.S. The outside columns of each page contain political events in Washington, D.C., and around the world. There are text, pictures, and political cartoons that describe the arts, medicine, sciences, and trends. Also included is a chart on every Presidential Election Results and Manifest Destiny Maps which show the territorial growth of the United States, beginning with the 13 original colonies and ending with Alaska and Hawaii becoming states in 1959.

2. __Scholastic Encyclopedia of the United States__, Judy Bock and Rachel Kranz, 1997. This book includes the 50 states listed alphabetically, and also American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. Read about each state in 4 sections: (1) “Basics” includes population, area, capital, bird, flower, tree, nicknames, motto, freshwater fish, saltwater fish, mineral, rock, fossil, nut, dance, drama, song, historic parks, and festivals; (2) Locator Map which shades the state described within the larger image of the United States map; (3) center part tells you about the history, geography, and industry; and (4) “Fascinating Facts” column lists the state’s firsts, mosts, bests, and famous people born in the state. There are photographs of famous people who were born or who lived in the state, festivals, and/or interesting places to visit.

3. __Scholastic Encyclopedia of Women in the United States__, Sheila Keenan, 1996. This book tells the story of women who have shaped our nation. Included are 217 biographies of women who became famous for their work, ideas, and/or leadership. And, there are an additional 43 biographies of other women who have made significant contributions. The timeframe is from before the 1500s to 1996. This book is divided into 6 chronological chapters: (1) The First American Women (1500s-1700s); (2) Growth and Conflict (1800-1880s); (3) The Rights of Women (1890s-1920s); (4) Hard Times, Tough Choices (1930s &1940s); (5) The American Dream (1950s &1960s); and (6) Woman Power! (1970s-1990s). The women included are authors, actresses, entrepreneurs, teachers, college presidents, television journalists, soldiers, spies, and historians, to name a few. In addition, there are Cameos (highlights women who are famous for a very important single achievement), Women’s Words (quotes by and about women), and Women’s Sphere (what women’s lives were really like) which appear throughout each chapter. This book is easy to read with interesting pictures to accompany the biographies.


 * Kate Millerick - 3 Encyclopedias**

** Pick Me Up: Stuff You Need to Know. **** New York **** : Dorling Kindersley, 2006. **  This encyclopedia is designed to entice technology obsessed youth back to books. This “ purposeful chaos of knowledge is designed to mimic the Internet, its loud, pop-culture illustrations patterned after in-your-face videogame animation and graphics.” ([]) The cross-referencing in this encyclopedia makes it fun and useful. The colorful pictures and interesting selection of subjects and how they are laid out are a nice way to show students that encyclopedias don’t have to be intellectual books full of boring facts.

** Gee, Joshua. ** **Encyclopedia horrifica : the terrifying truth! about vampires, ghosts, monsters, and more** **. **** New York **** : Scholastic Inc., 2007. ** ** This encyclopedia is broken into four parts: Real Nightmares, That’s the Spirit, Every Day is Halloween, and Fearsome Fates. Filled with great illustrations and pictures and gives great background information on superstitions, the super natural and cultural history. Encyclopedia Horrifica doesn’t claim that its contents are 100% real, but it does offer facts related to each topic so that each reader can form their own opinion. This reference book is another selection that would be a great choice to entice students to read and explore the reference section. **

** Scholastic Children’s Encyclopedia. **** New York **** : Scholastic Reference, 2004. ** This single volume encyclopedia provides a brief overview on many different topics. Each subject includes cross references to related topics – For example: Airports invites you to see also: balloons & airships, engines, helicopters, Wright, Orville and Wilbur, etc. This book also includes a quick reference section with country and state flags, capitals, populations, leaders and time zones. Additionally, there is a “how to use this book” section in the front with helpful, easy to understand tips for young readers.