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 : Modern World. Part I : 1900-1945. - 276 p.

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 : 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.

Vol.4 : Romantic Comedy–Yugoslavia. - 432 p.

Drawing on authoritative, international contributors, information on film is extensively documented in this set, which is intended as a film-studies staple. The alphabetically arranged volumes are titled as follows: "Academy Awards—Crime Films"; "Criticism—Ideology"; "Independent Film—Road Movies"; and "Romantic Comedy—Yugoslavia." Subtopics include countries, history, philosophies, and more, with information on individual movies often spread over several entries. Articles range from as few as 5 pages ("Slapstick comedy") to 17 pages ("Italy"). Contemporary topics, such as "Gay, lesbian and queer cinema," are included along with more-expected entries on "Teen films" and "Cinematography." See-also references guide readers to one or more related topics or subtopics, while further-reading suggestions provided after every entry list academic and popular articles and books. The more than 16,000 index entries, with major topics in bold type, make access straightforward. The text is highlighted with photographs varying in size, color, and clarity, along with brief biographies on related figures. While there is a plethora of good publications on film, such as Ephraim Katz's single-volume The Film Encyclopedia (HarperCollins, 2005) and his The Macmillan International Film Encyclopedia (2001), this set is more comprehensive and current. Public libraries and secondary schools, especially those with a focus on filmmaking, should plan to include it in their collections.

Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion is an exciting and unique resource that excels in depth and range of coverage. It is highly recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries with a clientele interested in what and why people wear what they wear.

Vol. 5 : U-Z. - 416 p.

This alphabetically arranged, 2,700-entry encyclopedia treats aspects of U.S. popular culture, defined as "all the experiences in life shared by people in common, generally though not necessarily disseminated by the mass media." In the process of winnowing the 4,000 or so potential topics that were suggested by an advisory group to a manageable number of entries, the editors sought balance, though not necessarily equal coverage. Content breaks down into articles that address social life (23 percent of the articles), music (16 percent), print culture (16 percent), film (15 percent), television and radio (14 percent), sports (10 percent), and art and performance (6 percent). A few entries, such as Currier and Ives and Dime novels, relate to the culture of the nineteenth century, but treatment is purposely slanted toward the twentieth century, and the latter half of the twentieth at that. Articles range from 75-to 150-word introductions to 3,000-word analyses. Each of the 450 contributors, mostly college or university professors and freelance writers, was asked to describe his or her topic and analyze its relevance to American popular culture, a charge successfully carried out in uniformly zesty and interesting prose, accompanied by numerous clear black-and-white illustrations. There are entries covering broad topics (Advertising, Jazz, Radio) and specific activities, comic strips, companies and consumer products, films, foods, individuals, musical groups, publications, social issues, sports teams, television and radio programs, and various other trends and phenomena, such as Advice columns, AARP, Aerobics, Air travel, and Astrology. Reflecting pop culture's inherent inclusiveness, there seems to be almost nothing missing, and an examination of the impact of Sigmund Freud keeps company with entries on Frederick's of Hollywood, Frosty the Snowman, and frozen food. This is one of those rare encyclopedias that is good not only for research but for casual browsing, and readers will find much that is fascinating. Each entry, laid out in an easy-to-read typeface in double-column format, concludes with a list of further readings that includes references to both standard print and online sources. The introduction, list of contributors, and alphabetical list of entries are repeated in each volume. The indexing in volume five is superlative and broad, consisting of three different indexes--one general, one organized by subject, and one organized by decade, creating linkages and widening access to the information available on any given topic. Cross-referencing is limited to see references that refer readers to appropriate headings. The indexing helps make up for the lack of see also references, although these would more easily guide readers between entries for Orson Welles and War of the Worlds, to take one example. Other reference works, such as the Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television [RBB Ag 97] and The Sixties in America [RBB S 1 99], cover specific aspects of popular culture or specific periods in greater detail, but none can match this set's broad sweep. A superb source for high-school, public, and academic libraries.

Vol. 4 : S-Z. Appendix Index. - 423 p.

The Encyclopedia of public health is a thorough reference set of four volumes covering all aspects of Public health for a lay public. Its target audience is very wide but its high price means that only a large or medium sized public or school library will buy it readily. It covers infectious diseases and other topics related to public health, such as causes of injury or chronic diseases. The 900 articles are written by experts in this domain.

Vol. 4 : Sadat - Zulu. - 234 p.

The highly regarded Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara was published by Scribner in 1997. The editor, John Middleton, has now produced an abbreviated version, appropriate for high-school and undergraduate students and adults. The original included 896 articles. This new version has about 450 entries in just under 1,000 pages. Topics include countries, regions, geographic features, cultural groups, personalities, and general subjects, such as Body adornment and clothing, Oral tradition, and Writing systems. The preface indicates that many of the original articles have been adapted and updated and that a substantial amount of new information has been added on North Africa. In an effort to make the resource user-friendly, time lines, sidebars, and definitions now appear in margins next to related text; and individual country entries include quick reference fact boxes. Each volume has an eight-page color photo-essay: "People and Culture" in the first volume, followed by "The Land and Its History," "Art and Architecture," and "Daily Life" in subsequent volumes. Additional black-and-white photographs and more than 50 maps are also offered.

Vol. 4 : Printing and Publishing - Writing . - 230 p.

The accomplishments during the Renaissance related to many curriculum areas ranging from the humanities to the sciences. Based on the award-winning Encyclopedia of the Renaissance (Scribner, 2000), editor Paul F. Grendler has put together a comparable work on the subject for high school and middle school students. The Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students is equivalent to its academic version in quality of substance with necessary differences in length, layout, language, and added features.

Vol. 4 : Inequality, Income - Mrxism, Black. - 644 p.