TIME: Almanac 1990/1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso/time/cal/89bstbks.ref

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Reference Books

Academic American Encyclopedia. 21v. Ed. by Bernard S. Cayne and
K. Anne Ranson. annual. 1980-  . Grolier, $800 (0-7172-2024-9).

The first entirely new encyclopedia to be published in the U.S. in
more than 30 years, Academic American sets a high standard for
design and illustration. Conceptually, it is different from other
adult encyclopedias, with an emphasis on breadth of coverage rather
than depth. This results in entries on many unique topics. Because
of its relatively recent creation date and thorough revision
process, AAE continues to be one of the most up-to-date
encyclopedias published.


Almanac of Famous People. (Originally published as Biography
Almanac). 3v. Ed. by Susan Stetler. 4th ed. 1988. Gale, $90
(0-8103-2784-8).

The body of this work indexes sources of biographical information
on 25,000 people. Additional indexes group these people by
occupation and place and day of birth and death. A boon for smaller
libraries that don't own Biography and Genealogy Master Index.


American Heritage Dictionary of Science (Originally published as
Hammond Barnhart Dictionary of Science). By Robert Barnhart. 1988.
Houghton, $19.95 (0-395-48367-0).

For students in introductory science classes, this work far
surpasses other one-volume dictionaries in number of entries and
quality of definitions. The quality of definitions. The complexity
of definitions is determined by the age at which students should
encounter the word in their studies. This up-to-date, inexpensive
dictionary will be especially useful in high school libraries.


The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. By John
K. Terres. 1980. Knopf, $75 (0-394-46651-9).

A magnificent one-volume encyclopedia providing more than 600 major
articles, life histories of 847 birds, and accounts of other topics
of ornithological interest. It is worth its price just for its
outstanding photographs.


Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology. Ed. by Robert K. Barnhart. 1988.
Wilson, $59 (0-8242-0745-9).

With a core of 30,000 entries, this dictionary makes the
development of English understandable for general readers. Its
focus on American English and its readable entries make it
appropriate for libraries from high school on up.


Books in Print Plus. [CD-ROM] quarterly. 1986-  . Bowker, $995/year
(0-8352-2334-5).

This compact disc product enables one to search the Books in Print
database by all fields in a record: publisher, date, ISBN, series,
subject, author, title, grade level, price, illustration, and
language. Fields can be searched by keyword, too. While very useful
for the acquistions and collection-development librarian, BIP Plus
is also a godsend for the patron who is searching for a recent book
with only partial information. Also available is an enhanced
version, Reviews Plus, which contains the full text of reviews from
several book review journals, including Booklist and Choice.


Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy. 2d ed. Ed. by Jean Audouze and Guy
Israel. 1988. Cambridge, $90 (0-521-36360-8).

Superb illustrations--hundred of color and black-and-white
photographs and color diagrams--make this an invaluable work for
both amateur and professional astronomers.


Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. By Roland Oliver and Michael
Crowder. Cambridge, OP.

The is the first volume in a handsome series that combines text and
illustrations to treat areas of the world. Thematic articles cover
environment, economy, history, peoples, politics, and culture.
Other titles include China (1982), Latin America & the Caribbean
(1985), Middle East & North Africa (1988), and Russia & the Soviet
Union (1982).


Compton's MultiMedia Encyclopedia. [CD-ROM] 1989. Encyclopaedia
Britannica, $795.

Based on Compton's Encyclopedia, this product is the first to
combine audio and video with the power of compact-disc searching.
Since it was just released at the end of the year, it does not have
a track record yet, but if it lives up to its potential, it will
totally change the way young people use encyclopedias.


Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Ed. by American Council
of Learned Societies Staff. 1981. Scribner, $70 (0-684-16650-X).

This one-volume work is based on the 16-volume Dictionary of
Scientific Biography, published between 1970 and 1980, which won
the 1981 Dartmouth Medal. In this concise version, all entries from
that set have been retained but have been substantially shortened.
International in scope, this work excludes living people. A good
basis for a history of science collection.


Crime Fiction, 1749-1980: A Comprehensive Bibliography. By Allen
J. Hubin. 1984. Garland, $51.95 (0-8240-9219-8).

About 60,000 books are listed by author, with title, series, and
settings indexes in this complete guide to the crime genre. A
supplement covering 1980-85 was published in 1988.


Dictionary of American Regional English. v.1. Ed. by Frederic G.
Cassidy. 1985. Harvard, $65 (0-674-20511-1).

While only one volume has been published so far (A-C), this
promises to be a classic reference work. This dictionary of folk
usage, dialect, and work. This dictionary of folk usage, dialect,
and traditional speech brings together all previous research on
American English. It is to be complete in 5 volumes.


Directory of Nursing Homes. 3d ed. 1988. Oryx, $195
(0-89774-414-4).

This was the first in Oryx's series of directories of health-care
facilities. It has been followed by titles listing Alzheimer's
disease treatment facilities, medical rehabilitation programs, pain
treatment centers, residential centers for adults with
developmental disabilities or mental illness, women's health care
centers, and others. These are useful guides for public library
patrons seeking treatment centers.


Encyclopedia of Alcoholism. Ed. by Robert O'Brien and Morris
Chafetz. 1983. Facts On File, $40 (0-87196-623-9).

First in a series of encyclopedias from Facts On File treating
social problems such as suicide, child abuse, and drug abuse. They
are readable, balanced treatments for both the layperson and the
professional.


Encyclopedia of Architectures: Design, Engineering, & Construction.
5v. Ed. by Joseph A. Wilkes and Robert T. Packard. 1980-90. Wiley,
$850 (0-471-63351-8).

This wide-ranging set emphasizes architectural processes and
building technology, but historic and artistic topics are treated
as well. It is heavily illustrated and valuable for both art and
architecture and technology collections. The final volume with the
index is to be published in February 1990.


The Encyclopedia of Asian History. Ed. by Ainslie T. Embree. 1987.
Scribner, $325 (0-684-18619-5).

Covering Asian civilization from its earliest history, from Iran
on the west to Japan, the Phillipines, and Indonesia on the east,
this encyclopedia provides an excellent overview of the region.
Though written for the layperson, it includes the depth and detail
that scholars demand.


Encyclopedia of Black America. Ed. by W. Augustus Low and Virgil
A. Clift. 1981. McGraw-Hill, $99 (0-07-038834-2).

More than 1,000 biographies and several hundred topical articles
cover the whole range of black life in America--science, arts,
history, education, etc. A good one-volume source for public and
high school libraries.


Encyclopedia of Electronics. By Stan Gibilisco. 1985. TAB, $58
(0-8306-2000-1).

Since it requires no background in mathematics, high school and
public library patrons will find this illustrated encyclopedia very
useful. Extensive cross-referencing and indexing make it an easy
source for the layperson to use.


The Encyclopedia of Religion. 16v. Ed. by Mircea Eliade. 1987.
Macmillan, $1,300 (0-02-909480-1).

The first major English-language encylopedia of world religions to
appear in more than half a century. Nothing compares to this
landmark set in scope and currency. Despite its scholarly style,
this 1987 Dartmouth Medal winner will be useful in public
libraries.


Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Ed. by Charles Reagan Wilson and
William Ferris. 1989. Univ. of North Carolina, $49.95
(-0-8078-1823-2).

Published to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution, this
set bridges history, law, and political science. Readable articles
treat topics of perennial interest in libraries (abortion,
obscenity, gun control). This set should again see heavy use this
year with the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights. Winner of the
1987 Dartmouth Medal.


Facts On File Visual Dictionary. By Jean C. Corbeil. 1986. Facts
On File, $29.95 (0-8160-1544-9).

This useful reference tool provides a visual context for more than
25,000 words by labeling them on 3,000 drawings. Well indexed, the
book should be especially useful for new speakers of English.
Variants available from Facts On File include an English/French
visual dictionary, an English/Chinese visual dictionary, and the
Junior Visual Dictionary for children.


Gallaudet Encyclopedia of Deaf People and Deafness. 3v. Ed. by John
V. Van Cleve. 1987. McGraw-Hill, $300 (0-07-079229-1).

This unique work, written in a clear and generally accessible
manner, will interest scholars and researchers in the field,
practitioners who work with the deaf, deaf people themselves, and
the general public. Articles include biographies, scientific
topics, and other subjects of interest on a culture of which we are
all becoming more aware.


Genreflecting. By Betty Rosenberg. 2d ed. 1987. Libraries
Unlimited, $30 (0-87287-530-X).

A useful guide for the librarian and the patron to westerns,
thrillers, romance novels, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Representative lists of authors and titles are given for each
genre.


Great Song Thesaurus. 2d ed. Ed. by Roger Lax and Frederick Smith.
1988. Oxford, $75 (0-19-505408-3).

This thesaurus enables the user to find the full title, date, and
composer of a song when only a keyword or subject is known. Other
lists include award-winning songs, composers and lyricists with the
titles of their songs, and songs arranged by key lyric line. About
11,000 songs from the sixteenth century through 1987 are listed.
An invaluable source for any library with a popular music
collection.


Guide to American Law: Everyone's Legal Encyclopedia. 12v. 1983-85.
West, $990 (0-314-73224-1).

The first comprehensive source on the law for laypeople. Articles
on legal concepts, legal organizations, government agencies, and
people prominent in the law are accompanied by attractive
illustrations.


The Harper Atlas of the Bible. Ed. by James B. Pritchard. 1987.
Harper, $49.95 (0-06--181883-6).

More than a collection of maps, this atlas vividly chronicles the
history, geography, social life, and religion of biblical people
and places through accessible text and extraordinary illustrations.


Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Ed. by Stephen
Thernstrom and others. $1980. Harvard, $90 (0-674-37512-2).

Essays on more than 100 ethnic groups, including Mormons, Amish,
Scotch-Irish, and Italians, are presented here along with thematic
essays. Maps accompanying the articles on ethnic groups show their
distribution in the U.S. This book has proven to be very useful to
students of American history and ethnicity and to genealogists.


Information U.S.A. By Matthew Lesko. Rev. ed. 1986. Penguin, $50
(0-670-80972-1); paper $22.95 (0-14-046745-9).

This useful guide to government information sources was compiled
for the layperson and will be useful in all public libraries to
supplement more complicated guides to government publications.


International Center of Photography Encyclopedia of Photography.
Crown, OP.

This handsomely produced work treats the aesthetic, scientific,
technical, and commercial aspects of photography. It is illustrated
with excellent color and black-and-white pictures. There are 350
biographies in the body of the work, and an additional 2,000
photographers are briefly treated in an appendix. A complete source
that would be useful in any library.


International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 5v. Ed. by
Christopher Lyon. 1984-88. St. James, $250 (v.1 0-912289-04-X; v.2
0-912289-05-8; v.3 0-972289-08-2; v.4 0-912289-09-0; v.5
0-912289-86-4).

Volume 1 treats 490 important films from the U.S. and Europe.
Volume 2 contains biographies of directors and filmmakers,; volume
3, selected actors; and volume 4, writers and production artists.
All entries in volumes 2-4 have extensive filmographies. Volume 5
is a title index to all films mentioned in the set. While not
comprehensive in its coverage of films, the critical essays on
films and people involved in the industry make this a useful
addition to most libraries. A new edition is to be published
beginning in 1990.


International Encyclopedia of Communications. 4v. Ed. by Erik
Barnouw. 1989. Oxford, $350 (0-19-504994-2).

The complex, interdisciplinary field of communications has lacked
an encyclopedia until now. This set offers broad and authoritative
coverage of the multifaceted aspects of communication. It could
also win a prize for most attractive reference work of the year.


Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. 9v. 1983. Kodansha, $720
(0-87011-620-7).

This authoritative set treats all aspects of Japanese life and is
useful for the general reader as well as the scholar. Alas, all the
illustrations are in black and white. A one-volume supplement was
published in 1986.


The Motion Picture Guide. 12v. By Jay R. Nash and Stanley R. Ross.
1985-87. CineBooks; dist. by Bowker, $750 (0-933997-00-0).

This comprehensive source on films describes more than 28,000
movies produced from 1927 through 1984. It also includes 13,000
silent films produced from 1910 to 1936. Each entry gives complete
credits, and a two-volume index includes all personal names in the
set with the movies they made. The plot summaries and critical
commentaries are useful. An update volume is published annually.
Any serious film collection should have this set for its breadth
of coverage.


New Grove Dictionary of American Music. 4v. Ed. by H. Wiley
Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie. 1986. Grove's Dictionaries of Music,
$695 (0-943818-36-2).

About a third of the entries here are revised and updated from The
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians; the remainder are
totally new. Covering a wide range of musical genres, from the
Juilliard String Quartet to the Beach Boys, this encyclopedia lives
up to the standard set by its parent.


The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2v. Ed. by Barry Kernfeld. 1988.
Grove's Dictionaries, $350 (0-935859-39-X).

This set was intended to be based on The New Grove Dictionary of
American Music; however, 90 percent of the material is new.
Three-fourths of the entries are biographical, but articles also
treat theory, instruments, and even the business of jazz. Articles
are accompanied by almost 2,000 discographies. The standard
reference source on America's contribution to world music.


The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20v. 6th Ed. by
Stanley Sadie. 1980. Grove's Dictionaries, $2,300 (0-333-23111-2).

While this was at first intended to be just a new edition of the
venerable Grove, it ended up as virtually a new work. It treats the
entire world of music, including nonwestern and folk. Articles
cover composers, performers, terms, musical genres, instruments,
etc. This winner of the 1982 Dartmouth Medal will serve as the
basis of music reference collections for years to come.


New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture.
10v. By T. H. Everett. 1980. Garland, $1,000 (082EHSET).

This comprehensive description of horticulture in the U.S. and
Canada updates Liberty Hyde Bailey's Standard Cyclopedia of
Horticulture. Heavily illustrated, it provides all the information
the amateur or professional gardener will want to know.


Newspaper Abstracts Ondisc. [CD-ROM] 1988-   . monthly. UMI, price
varies.

Libraries can customize the newspaper indexing they provide by
selecting from among seven newspapers when subscribing to Newspaper
Abstracts Ondisc. (The New York Times is part of all packages.) The
advantages of powerful search capabilities and abstracts for the
articles may convince libraries to cancel their subscriptions to
printed newspaper indexes.


The Oxford English Dictionary. 20v. 2d ed. Ed. by J. A. Simpson and
Edmund Weiner. 1989. Oxford, $2,500 (0-19-861186-2).

While not a complete revision of the OED, this edition adds 5,000
new words and interfiles all the entries from the supplements to
the original set. The biggest improvement is the new type-face and
layout, which make the set much easier to read. Though many OED
entries still need revision, libraries where this dictionary gets
heavy use will want to replace their old sets.


Random House Dictionary of the English Language. 2d ed. 1987.
Random, $79.95 (0-394-50054-4; deluxe ed., $99.95 (0-394-56500-2).

This, the most up-to-date unabridged dictionary available, updates
the 1966 edition with 50,000 new words, 75,000 new definitions, and
85,000 revised definitions. Usage notes are descriptive, not
judgmental. An especially attractive type-face and layout make this
authoritative dictionary easy to read.


Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from
the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day. By E.F. Bleiler.
1982. Scribner, $65 (0-684-16740-9).

Scribner's writers series began in the 1970s with British Writers
and American Writers and continues today with European Writers and
the most recent title, Latin American Writers, Science Fiction
Writers provides readable biocritical essays on 76 writers of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Bleiler also wrote Supernatural
Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror (1985).


The Times Atlas and Encyclopedia of the Sea. (Originally published
as The Times Atlas of the Oceans.) Ed. by Alastair Couper. 1989.
Harper, $59.95 (0-06-016287-2).

The first edition of this work won the 1984 Dartmouth Medal. Its
maps, charts, graphs, and illustrations are beautifully presented.
Both the world of nature and works of human origin--for instance,
canals, oil wells, fisheries--are treated.


We the People: An Atlas of America's Ethnic Diversity. By James P.
Allen and Eugene J. Turner. 1988. Macmillan, $125 (0-02-901420-4).

More than 100 full-color maps show the distribution of various
ethnic and racial groups in the U.S., and lengthy commentary
explains each  map. Combining the best elements of human geography
with sophisticated computer techniques, this is an outstanding
reference work in every respect and richly deserves the Dartmouth
Medal it won in 1989.


Wilsondisc. [CD-ROM] 1987--   . quarterly. Wilson, price varies.

The compact disc version of the 1985 Dartmouth Medal--winning
Wilsonline. Separate discs are available for 16 different Wilson
databases, including Readers' Guide Abstracts. Several different
levels of searching are available for users of different levels of
sophistication. While there are now several other competing indexes
of popular periodicals available on CD-ROM, Wilsondisc remains
unique in that it offers free online searches to update the compact
disc search as part of the annual subscription.


Women's Studies Encyclopedia. v.1 Ed. by Helen Tierney. 1989.
Greenwood, $59.95 (0-313-26725-1).

The first in a projected three-volume set, this volume brings
together feminist research in the natural, behavioral, and social
sciences. Designed as a nontechnical source for students and
general readers, this set promises to fill a void in the women's
studies literature. Future volumes are to cover the humanities:
literature, arts, and education (volume 2) and history, religion,
and philosophy (volume 3).


World Christian Encyclopedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and
Religion in the Modern World. Ed. by David Barrett. 1982. Oxford,
$185 (0-19-572435-6).

This survey of Christianity in the modern world treats 223
countries. For nations in which Christianity is not the predominant
religion, much information is given on indigenous religions. An
outstanding collection of data.


Source: Booklist Magazine, Dec. 15, 1989.