Vol. 4 : S - Z. - P. 1602-2178

Perfect for parents and allied health students, the Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health provides in-depth coverage of pediatric diseases and disorders, along with issues related to physical and cognitive/behavioral development. Written without hard-to-understand medical jargon, the four-volume set uses language parents can understand, while still providing enough depth to benefit today's health science students. The set, which covers every major body system, is arranged into five main entry types: Diseases & Disorders; Development; Immunizations; Drugs; Procedures. With a distinct emphasis on the health issues affecting children under the age of four, the Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health provides a much-needed service to new parents and promises to be a frequently used resource in any library.

Vol. 4 : Saint Kitts and Nevis to Zimbabwe. Index. - 679 p.

Like the ten-volume Encyclopedia of World Cultures (Macmillan, 1996), the four-volume Countries and Their Cultures is based on the collection of ethnographic information known as the Human Relations Area Files based at Yale University. Unlike World Cultures, which is organized by culture, the new work is organized by country. This work's strength is that readers who know very little about a country can quickly obtain a good orientation to the major issues, history, and social structure of a nation. The 225 entries are between ten and 20 pages long and read like a cross between a well-written encyclopedia article, a travel guide, and a social science essay. They provide a good general overview of a country without greatly oversimplifying or distorting. All entries have the same structure, with sections on geography, history, demography, languages, food, economy, etiquette, politics, family, religion, and arts and humanities. A country's degree of cultural unity as well as its cultural variations are described in the sections on national identity, ethnic relations, and social stratification. Each entry has a map with a regional insert, black-and-white photographs, and a bibliography of recent scholarly books. Recommended especially for libraries that do not own Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Marc Meola, Coll. of New Jersey Lib., Ewing

Vol. 4 : Q - Z. - 1221-1682 pp.

The central aim of this encyclopedia is to give the reader a comparative perspective on issues involving conceptions of gender, gender differences, gender roles, relationships between the genders, and sexuality. The encyclopedia is divided into two volumes: Topics and Cultures. The combination of topical overviews and varying cultural portraits is what makes this encyclopedia a unique reference work for students, researchers and teachers interested in gender studies and cross-cultural variation in sex and gender. It deserves a place in the library of every university and every social science and health department.

Vol. 5 : Pheasants - Star. - P. 3037-3800

Vol. 4 : T-Z. Appendix. Indexes. - 361 p.

This work attempts to cover all international, seminal sports figures from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century in all disciplines. More than 600 biographies cover not only athletes but also coaches, team executives, media figures, writers, and sportscasters. The criteria for selection included "first" achievements, impact on sport and then society, records set or broken, and involvement in controversial or newsworthy activities on or off the field. Each entry is arranged alphabetically and contains a 1,000- to 2,500-word essay, contact information for the subject, and further readings, including Web sites. Sidebars provide chronologies of events in the lives of the subjects, lists of major awards and accomplishments, statistics, extracts from material such as magazine articles, and brief biographies of individuals who played significant roles in the sports figures' lives. Other valuable features are the three indexes: a geographic index, an occupational index, and cumulative subject index that provides access under team name, religion, awards, position played, and even diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Notable Sports Figures does not necessarily fill a void in biographical coverage of athletes when one considers the recent publication of several other sources, such as Encyclopedia of North American Sports History (2d ed., Facts On File, 2002) or The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Figures (2002). Admittedly these two volumes are restricted to American or North American sports coverage, but after scanning the geographic index in Notable Sports Figures, it is quite evident that the emphasis is on American athletes. However, having all of the notables in one reference set will save the reference librarian time in searching for authoritative sources. Notable Sports Figures is recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries where budget dollars will allow purchase.

Vol. 4 : S-Z. - 496 p.

A scholarly resource accessible to a general audience, the Encyclopedia of Russian History provides more than 1,500 entries encompassing more than 1,000 years of Russian history, from the formation of Kievan Rus in the mid-ninth century to the present-day Russian Federation. A seven-member editorial board of Russian scholars headed by editor-in-chief Millar (Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University) oversaw topic selection. All entries are signed by one of more than 500 contributors. Entries are arranged alphabetically. To access them, users can scan the article title list in volume 1 or use the cumulative subject index in volume 4. Bold type in the index designates main entries. Volume 1 also provides a list of article titles arranged by one of 21 general topics, such as "Agriculture," "Government," "Religion," and "Science and Technology".

Vol. 4 : Per - Zoo. - 292 p.

Animal Sciences brings together a wide range of scientific, historical and cultural information about the animal world. In addition to covering biological concepts, the history of zoology, biographies of scientists in the field, and ethical issues, such as the practice of animal experimentation, it also covers careers in the animal sciences. Each fully illustrated volume includes sidebars, charts and a glossary, as well as bibliographies, filmographies and a list of the addresses of institutions devoted to the protection and study of wild and domesticated animals around the world. While Gale strives to replicate print content, some content may not be available in the eBook version due to rights restrictions. Call your Sales Rep for details.

Vol. 4 : Electronic Universe. - 368 p.

Here is an attractive, readable set designed to present the history of computers and reflect on their purpose, use, and impact today. Nearly 300 entries are organized into four volumes, usually with black-and-white illustrations, photos, or charts. Signed entries are two to four pages long and often include sidebars, definitions for terms or concepts, see also references, and bibliographies with a handful of current sources, many of them online. University professors are among the contributors. Repeated at the beginning of each volume are the preface, tables of measurements, time lines, and table of contents. Each volume concludes with the same glossary and topic outline and a volume index, with a cumulative index at the end of volume 4. Volume 1 (Foundations: Ideas and People) covers history; volume 2 (Software and Hardware), the nuts and bolts of the technology; volume 3 (Social Applications), how computers affect our everyday lives; and volume 4 (Electronic Universe), the networked society. Organization within each volume is alphabetical. Some representative subjects covered in volume 1 include Babbage, Charles; IBM Corporation; and Transistors. In volume 2 we learn about Client/server technology, Game controllers, and Touch screens; in volume 3, about Airline reserva tions, Educational software, and Spreadsheets; and in volume 4, Cookies, Global positioning systems, and Political applications. Several articles are current enough to include the 9/11 attacks and October 2001 anthrax letters. There are so many interrelated topics that dividing them by volume is confusing to a user. Chemistry and Electronic campus are in volume 4, but Distance learning and Physics are in volume 3. Assistive computer technology for persons with disabilities is in volume 4, although it could be considered a social application. Art and Music composition are placed in different volumes. The topic outline lists entry headings under broad topics and might be helpful in providing an overview, but it gives no indication of the volumes in which the entries can be found. For academic libraries, the standard Encyclopedia of Computer Science (4th ed., Grove, 2000) will probably be adequate, even though this field changes so rapidly. High-school and public libraries where there is emphasis on technology may want to add this set for its detailed coverage of people, concepts, and applications.

Vol. 4 : Ra - Ye. - 270 p.

A multi-faceted reference work, the Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences addresses the core knowledge, theories, and techniques employed by plant scientists, while also concentrating on applications of these in research and in industry. Plants influence all our lives as sources of sustenance, fuel and building materials. The Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences is a comprehensive yet succinct publication that covers the application of current advances in the biological sciences, through which scientists can now better produce sustainable, safe food, feed and food ingredients, and renewable raw materials for industry and society. This three-volume set also covers the concerns over continuing advances in the application of knowledge in the areas of ecology and plant pathology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology, as well as the ethical issues involved in the use of the powerful techniques available to modern plant science.

Vol. 4 : Our Future in Space. - 304 p.

In this wonderful encyclopedia designed for middle- and high-school students, 341 entries explore the wonders of space. Each volume has a theme. Space Business (volume 1) covers topics such as Communications satellite industry, Law of space, and Space tourism. Planetary Science and Astronomy (volume 2) covers the more scientific aspects, including planetary explorations. Humans in Space (volume 3) treats manned missions and various astronauts, and Our Future in Space has entries for topics such as Asteroid mining, Mars bases, and Military uses of space. The entries in each volume are in alphabetical order and range from a single paragraph to several pages in length, with most being one or two pages long. The front and back matter are the same in each volume and include a few pages of reference tables such as conversion charts, time lines of milestones in space history and human achievements in space, a list of contributors, a table of contents for the set, and a glossary. Volume 1 has a unique time line of "Major Business Milestones in U.S. History." The index in the first three volumes is specific to the volume only, and there is a cumulative index in volume 4. Numerous sidebars provide additional information throughout the set. Words that appear in bold type in the entry are defined in the page margins and also in the glossary. The color illustrations and photographs are beautifully reproduced and appear on almost every two-page spread. Additionally, there are smaller portraits and black-and-white illustrations. Almost every person mentioned has a portrait somewhere in the set. The entries are well written and should be easily understood by the target audience of YA students. The breadth and depth of information will fascinate students and be very helpful in preparing reports and projects on a wide variety of space-related topics. School and public libraries should eagerly add this set to their collections.