Book Bits is a look at selected new reference books found in the UE Libraries' reference collection. If you have questions or comments, please email
ra2@evansville.eduEncyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics (REF Q 175.35 .E53 2005)MacMillan Reference Books (August 2005)--4 volumes
from
Booklist:"The timing could hardly be better for this set. With the recent Gulf Coast hurricanes renewing concern regarding ecology, plus the ongoing debates on stem cell research, global warming, and a myriad of other science-related topics in the news, Macmillan's latest multivolume work on ethics provides a superb introduction to the issues presented.
...Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics "aims to summarize . . . emerging bodies of knowledge bearing on the co-construction of an ethical, scientific, and technological world." Editor Mitcham (Colorado School of Mines) and around 470 academic contributors have written more than 675 articles on topics that relate to every conceivable area of ethics in science and technology--and beyond."
Encyclopedia of Anthropology (REF GN 11 .E63 2006)Sage Publications (December 2005)--5 volumes
from
Library Journal"Thorough coverage is given to a wide range of topics in physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, anthropological linguistics, and applied anthropology. More than 250 respected anthropologists and scholars have contributed over 1000 A-to-Z articles… Color photographs accompany many of the articles and lend the encyclopedia a pleasing appearance. The signed entries are written in accessible, nonscholarly language, which makes the work suitable for undergraduate students and informed lay readers alike… This balanced and user-friendly resource will be a good starting point for basic anthropological research."
Encyclopedia of the Arctic (REF G 606 .E49 2005)Taylor & Francis (August 2004)--3 volumes
from
Booklist"This new encyclopedia, concentrating on the entire North Polar region, is a comprehensive examination of the history, geography, geology, natural resources, peoples, cultures, languages, environments, exploration, exploitation, animals, climate, and ecology of this unique and important area. The Arctic polar region encompasses eight countries: Canada, Finland, Greenland/Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S. It is a place of extremes, of unique and fragile ecosystems, and of numerous groups of indigenous peoples and a wide variety of animals, and it is a major influence on climates throughout the globe."
Encyclopedia of African History (REF DT 20 .E53 2005)Routledge (November 2004)--3 volumes
from
Booklist"Encyclopedia of African History is the first multivolume reference set to be devoted to the history of the whole continent. Other fairly recent titles have had either a more limited geographical or chronological scope, such as the excellent Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara (Scribner, 1997) or the more focused Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century African History (Routledge, 2002). The Encyclopedia of African Nations and Civilizations (Facts On File, 2001) is pitched to a lower student or popular level.
Over 300 authors, more than one-third of them African, have contributed close to 1,100 articles, most of which have further reading suggestions. The majority of the articles are about 1,000 words in length, with longer surveys of regions and broad topics such as Community in African society or Political systems. About one-third of the matter is devoted to ancient Africa through the eighteenth century, covering topics such as the Iron Age, the Songhay empire, and the Yoruba states. The remainder details the social, economic, and political history of each region and modern state, from the nineteenth century "scramble for Africa" through the colonial period to the postcolonial period to the recent past. There are entries on important modern cities as well as some biographical entries and articles on topics such as clothing and language."
The Fifties in America (REF E 169.12 .F498 2005)Salem Press (May 2005)--3 volumes
From
Booklist"The Fifties in America follows the publisher's successful The Sixties in America (1999) and is based on this reference source. The Fifties, however, has expanded coverage, with 640 entries that represent a 20 percent increase over the number in The Sixties. It also expands the geographic coverage by covering Canada as well as the U.S.
For an audience of general readers and students, the set seeks to survey the events and people in these two countries from 1950 through 1959. Among the 640 entries are essays that cover the topic with 300 words and much broader topics that require 3,000 to 5,000 words."
