Reference Reviews: September 1, 2010
Sep 1 2010Careers
Hill, Kathleen T. Career Opportunities in the Food and Beverage Industry. Ferguson: Facts On File. 2010. c.298p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780816076123. $49.50; Online: Infobase eBooks REF
With more than 80 profiles of jobs in the field, this latest entry in the "Career Opportunities" series shares everything needed to start or change a career in the food and beverage industry. There are profiles of jobs ranging from bakery manager, caterer, cooking teacher, and farmer to recipe tester, restaurant supply buyer, sports nutritionist, and writer. Each profile is approximately two pages long and is nicely organized with information on the position description; salaries; employment prospects; advancement prospects; education and training; experience, skills, and personality traits; unions and associations; and tips for entry. Also featured is a "career ladder" that shows a typical career path with three growth opportunities. Each entry begins with a summary career profile that includes a description of duties for the job and quickly indicates if the career or position is a good match for the job seeker. Employment prospects are clearly indicated along with trends and opportunities such as ethnic restaurants, food carts, and eating food grown or produced close to home. Hill is a food and wine editor as well as the coauthor of a series of guidebooks on the wine regions of the West Coast. Her excitement about the industry sparkles on every page. In addition to the wealth of information that the author provides, the book also includes extensive appendixes of culinary schools and academies organized by state, wine and beer classes and schools, magazines and periodicals, books and articles, and websites. BOTTOM LINE Authoritative, well-organized, and accessible to a wide variety of readers including students and professionals, this is highly recommended.—Kathleen A. Welton, Chicago
Government
The U.S. Motor Vehicle Reference Book: The National Guide to State Driver and Vehicle Licensing Services and Regulations. 270p. ISBN 9781879792951. $14.95.
The MVR Access and Decoder Digest: The Complete National Reference of Motor Vehicle Records Access, Content, and Conviction Code Tables. 624p. ISBN 9781879792968. $31.95.
ea. vol: BRB. 2010. ed. by Michael L. Sankey. pap. REF
These publications, compiled and edited by Sankey, replace The MVR Book and The MVR Decoder Digest, respectively (both of which he also edited). Both are arranged alphabetically by state. The smaller Reference Book aims to provide a practical guide to "policies and procedures regarding driver licensing issuance, suspensions and revocations, and financial responsibility issues." Content for each state (and the District of Columbia) includes contact information; driver's license, safety and enforcement, and license plate facts; and an overview of record access. An appendix features a glossary of "Key Organizations, Programs and Laws," tables of "Federally Mandated CDL Disqualifications," "Federal Mandated Data Retention for Commercial Drivers," and "State Driver License Format and Driving Record Fees." The new and expanded Access and Decoder Digest sheds light on motor vehicle and driving records. The "Primer on Motor Vehicle Records" offers an overview of these records and their characteristics. This is followed by state-by-state outlines of laws, rules, and forms; records access; driving record content; and conviction table with codes. The tables for some states include statute, suspensions, revocations, and cancellations. An overview of motor vehicle records from Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands is provided, along with "The AAMVA Code Dictionary (ACD)" and more. BOTTOM LINE Although specifically designed for "the insurance and trucking industries, employers of drivers, and state administrators," both of these publications will prove highly useful to individuals and businesses attempting to decipher motor vehicle records.—Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Graphic Novels
Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels. 2 vols. Greenwood. 2010. c.763p. ed. by M. Keith Booker. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313357466. $180; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
In an exploding area like comics, a new encyclopedia every few years only scratches the surface of names, titles, and trends. These two volumes follow Ron Goulart's single-volume but broader Comic Book Encyclopedia (HarperEntertainment, 2004). Booker (English, Univ. of Arkansas; "May Contain Graphic Material": Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Film) includes meaty entries for nearly 200 titles/characters and over 100 creators. Another 50 entries address themes/genres, publishers, and other meta-topics like awards and the Comics Code. Contributors encompass well-credentialed academics and writers (including librarian David Serchay) and a few creators. The emphasis is on Anglophone comics, especially work originating in the United States—indeed, only five entries relate to manga. (Note also that newspaper strips are largely excluded.) Many theme/genre entries are outstanding, such as "Feminism, Race and Ethnicity" and "Religion and Comics." Perhaps it's too easy to criticize omissions: there are no entries on web comics or comics for kids, and any reader is bound to miss favorite creators and titles. Bottom Line This resource evokes mostly the big-selling and award-winning (and preponderantly male) side of comics for ages 15 and up, largely superhero and "mega-indie" titles like Love and Rockets, Maus, Fun Home, and Cerebus, with some coverage of specialized trendsetters and earlier classics. Recommended for most public and academic libraries.—Martha Cornog, Philadelphia
Health & Medicine
Cardiovascular Disorders Sourcebook. 4th ed. Omnigraphics. (Health Reference). 2010. 640p. ed. by Amy L. Sutton. index. ISBN 9780780810808. $95. REF
In this update of Cardiovascular Diseases and Disorders Sourcebook (2005. 3d ed.), Sutton, who has edited several recent volumes of the "Health Reference" series (e.g., Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook), provides basic consumer health information about heart and vascular diseases and disorders. The first parts of the book introduce the anatomy and physiology of the heart, providing an overview of the etiology of cardiovascular disease, while the next few sections focus on heart and blood vessel diseases such as heart attacks, arrhythmias, stroke, and vasculitis. The remaining sections cover cardiovascular diseases in specific populations and how they are diagnosed, treated, and prevented. An appendix includes a glossary and a directory of organizations. The book's content is drawn from U.S. government agency websites such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and health-related organizations such as the American Heart Association; each chapter begins with a reference to the source. The new edition has fewer chapters and is organized differently than its predecessor. For example, it does not include the healthy heart cookbook at the end; the section on cardiovascular diseases in specific populations includes men and minorities, not just women; and maintaining heart health is covered in the beginning of the book rather than toward the end. BOTTOM LINE This clearly presented resource has a reading level geared toward high school and above. Recommended for public libraries, especially those that own the previous editions. Readers may also be interested in Facts On File's The Encyclopedia of the Heart and Heart Disease (2010. 2d ed.) and Omnigraphics' Blood and Circulatory Disorders Sourcebook (2010. 3d ed.).—Rebecca Raszewski, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
Drug Abuse Sourcebook. 3d ed. Omnigraphics. (Health Reference). 2010. 618p. ed. by Joyce Brennfleck Shannon. index. ISBN 9780780810792. $95. REF
Drug abuse has become a frequent theme in movies and on TV shows detailing peoples' struggles with addiction. In this third edition, Shannon (editor, Child Abuse Sourcebook) seeks to explain the abuse of illegal, over-the-counter, and prescription drugs and the etiology and treatment of addiction in an understandable way. Part 1 includes facts about drug abuse in the United States; Part 2 covers over 30 abused substances, such as ecstasy, human-growth hormones, methamphetamine, and PCP. The next few sections cover the causes and consequences of substance abuse, then detail the treatment and recovery process. The guide closes with glossaries of terms related to drug abuse and the directories of state substance-abuse agencies and organizations. As in Cardiovascular Disorders Sourcebook (see review, above), the content here is made up of excerpts from government agency publications and websites such as the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services and Administration and organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association. BOTTOM LINE Well organized and readily accessible to lay readers, this is recommended; those libraries with previous editions should purchase this update. A related book also published by Omnigraphics is Alcoholism Sourcebook (2010. 3d ed.), which also has the same editor. A more comprehensive yet expensive purchase would be Gale Cengage's Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, and Addictive Behavior (2009. 3d ed.).—Rebecca Raszewski, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
History
Encyclopedia of the Korean War: A Political, Social, and Military History. 2d ed. 3 vols. ABC-CLIO. 2010. c.1393p. ed. by Spencer C. Tucker & Paul G. Pierpaoli Jr. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781851098491. $295; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
Although not the first book with an alphabetical compendium about this brutal but short-lived "police action" (James I. Matray was responsible for Greenwood's Historical Dictionary of the Korean War in 1991, for example), Tucker's first edition of this work published a decade ago was a major achievement in the historiography of some hot action during a supposedly cold war. Widely praised, it was an LJ Best Reference Source for the year 2000. This revised edition features 120-plus new entries and additional material or updated references. Written by a team of 130 academic and independent contributors (many from the Virginia Military Institute), Volumes 1 and 2 contain a total of about 750 entries spread out over 1000 pages. As before, Volume 3 is a collection of primary sources. The set is well illustrated with crisp black-and-white photographs and maps. In addition, a good deal of ancillary material is presented: orders of battle, awards/decorations, chronology of the nation of Korea, glossary of abbreviations and military lingo, and a supplemental bibliography (each entry concludes with its own individual list of references). Though excellent, some entries assume a bit much. For example, the article titled "Isolationist Sentiment in the United States" never defines the term isolationism and does not address how this concept relates to American-Korean foreign policy. BOTTOM LINE While there are a number of inexpensive one-volume titles available, such as Korean War: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 1999) and Historical Dictionary of the Korean War (Scarecrow, 2010. 2d ed.), they present neither the scope nor the scholarship of Tucker's massive tomes. Buy this set or buy nothing at all. Strongly recommended for all public and academic libraries; should be a core collection item for all military and history libraries.—Michael F. Bemis, Washington Cty. Lib., Woodbury, MN
language & Linguistics
The Oxford Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases. 432p. ed. by Andrew Delahunty. ISBN 9780199543687. $18.99.
The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. 480p. ed. by John Ayto & John Simpson. index. ISBN 9780199232055. $18.95.
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations by Subject. 592p. ed. by Susan Ratcliffe. index. ISBN 9780199567065. $19.95.
ea. vol: 2d ed. Oxford Univ. (Oxford Paperback Reference). 2010. pap. REF
These reference works are updates in the 84-volume "Oxford Paperback Reference" series. Lexicographer Ayto and Simpson (chief editor, Oxford English Dictionary) compile slang words and phrases from the 20th century. The entries provide the origin of the word or phrase, the date the word was recorded as entering the English language, part of speech, alternative spellings, and at least one example of the term in context from a published source. Delahunty (contributor, The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions) selects foreign words and phrases assimilated into the English language from 40 other languages. Most of the selections are lifestyle words pertaining to areas such as fashion, cuisine, ethnic music, and recreation. An appendix lists the words by country of origin and century of introduction into English. Ratcliffe (Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations) provides a broad collection of quotations from ancient times to the 21st century, listed by theme. The selections range from the words of Plato to President Obama. There is an author index at the end of the book as well. BOTTOM LINE Each of these books would be a nice addition to any library with a focus on language and well used by students and researchers.—Diane Fulkerson, Univ. of West Georgia Lib., Carrollton
political science
Global Terror & Political Risk Assessment: Yearbook and Forecast 2010. Grey House. 2010. 833p. photogs. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781592376803. pap. $450. REF
Analysts from Exclusive Analysis, Ltd., based this first yearbook on information from the company's trove of materials on risk and global opportunities. The volume begins with a "Language of Risk" glossary. Section 1 is a chronological review of reports on specific issues and events that occurred in any part of the world in 2009 and major incident response assessments of events as they occurred. The table of contents for this section is an excellent list of current events for students, and the "Country/Region Index" allows readers to target specific areas of interest. Section 2 contains 11 in-depth essays of emerging trends in various regions, also in chronological order and with cut-off dates. Section 3 provides risk forecasts for 2010 in six broad geographic areas. Section 4 provides risk profiles for every country, including historical overviews, summaries, and risk ratings. Section 5 is made up of appendixes covering significant incidents on the sea and in aviation, energy, mining, finance, and nongovernmental organizations; political risk events; wars; civil unrest; terrorism; jihad; country risk ratings by country and rating; and continent maps. The maps, pixilated gray-tone reproductions, are probably the only weakness in this work. Black-and-white tables, charts, and a few photos accompany many entries. One would expect a yearbook will be published annually, but no ISSN is provided. BOTTOM LINE Although pricey, this one-volume source is packed with information that academics and students in political science, security, or international business programs would find invaluable. An excellent source for detailed political and terrorism risk analysis; highly recommended for academic libraries as well as public libraries with users in international business.—Rosanne M. Cordell, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend
psychology
Blom, Jan Dirk. A Dictionary of Hallucinations. Springer. 2010. 553p. illus. ISBN 9781441912220. $99; Online: SpringerLink REF
Blom, a Dutch clinical psychiatrist who specializes in psychotic disorders and has a Ph.D. in philosophy, aims to reexamine the concepts behind hallucinations from classic psychiatry and incorporate them into current research. The dictionary's entries fall into five categories: specific symptoms, medical conditions and substances associated with mediation of hallucinations, definitions of the terms hallucination and illusion by historical figures, historical figures who experienced hallucinations, and miscellaneous issues. Cross-references are listed throughout the book. The symptom definitions include the etymological origin, the year of introduction, and a description of current use. Within the entries, an asterisk is placed before other words that are entries in the dictionary. The references at the end of the entries are mainly from the four languages the author speaks: Dutch, English, French, and German. There are over 100 illustrations (25 in color) of artwork, pictures of psychiatrists and people who had recorded hallucinations, and figures. Although there are several reference works that mention hallucinations, few focus on the phenomenon itself. BOTTOM LINE Recommended—this is an original work that will serve as a starting point for health professionals trying to understand various hallucinations. Owing to its technical language, this book is an appropriate purchase for academic and medical libraries. Libraries looking for dictionaries with a broader focus on psychiatry and psychology should consider classic reference works like Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary (Oxford Univ., 2009. 9th ed.) and the APA Dictionary of Psychology (2007).—Rebecca Raszewski, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago
social sciences
Encyclopedia of Motherhood. 3 vols. SAGE. 2010. c.1526p. ed. by Andrea O'Reilly. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781412968461. $375; Online: SAGE Reference Online REF
O'Reilly—a Canadian academic, scholar, mother, activist, and the most influential voice of contemporary motherhood studies (a term she coined)—founded the Association for Research on Motherhood in 1997 and hosted its first international conference in 2008. Representing the first attempt to pull this new field together, 300 academics and researchers contribute 700 articles ranging from 250 to 2500 words that focus on motherhood as patriarchal institution, lived experience, identity, or agency. Deriving impetus from Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born (1976), the motherhood movement aims to create a narrative of mothering as empowering, in contrast to other portrayals. Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women (2000) and The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women's Issues Worldwide (2003) and The Women's Movement Today (Greenwood, 2005) cover many of the same issues but with a different focus. Topics are well chosen, including Judith Warner, "Hitler, Adolf, mother of," the Association of Radical Midwives, the National Association of Motherhood Centers, MomsRising, and "Motherhood poets." The article on Nancy Reagan mentions her daughter, Patti Davis, and indexes her name but does not refer to her appearance as a Playboy bunny. The index is a bit strained: Laura Bush is indexed only because she is listed in an article as ‘Mother of multiples," and Sasha and Malia Obama are indexed to their mother's article. BOTTOM LINE The illustrations are mostly pedestrian photos except for a startling one of a Yemeni mothers' group in niqabs; but there's no entry for Muslim women's dress or Muslims in general, although Muslim countries are among the geographical entries. The bibliographies and "Resource Guide" contain many little-known sources but are a bit short on websites and film references. At the inexpensive price, this is probably a good buy for most reference collections.—J. Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib. CUNY
Reference Short Takes
by Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Lib., Washington, DC
Abdullaev, Kamoludin & Shahram Akbarzadeh. Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan. 2d ed. Scarecrow. (Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East). 2010. 448p. bibliog. ISBN 9780810860612. $110. REF
Abdullaev (Politics of Compromise) and Akbarzadeh (U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East) explore the origin and culture of Tajikistan by assembling profiles of the countries, regions, movements, politics, and figures impacting the nation's genesis and progression toward autonomy. Alphabetized entries run from several lines to several paragraphs long and make frequent cross-references, often using Tajiki terms that are elsewhere defined. Opening the book is a detailed 2000-year chronology and a 40-page survey of the country's land, people, religions, and political tensions. A wonderful complement to Paul Bergne's 2007 The Birth of Tajikistan and Lena Jonson's 2006 Tajikistan in the New Central Asia.
The American Beauty Industry Encyclopedia. Greenwood. 2010. 338p. ed. by Julie Willett. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313359491. $85. REF
Opening with a chronology that locates the genesis of beauty concerns in Paleolithic haircutting tools, Willett (Permanent Waves) brings together the scholarship of 42 field specialists. Each contributes several article-style entries on industry entrepreneurs, corporations, oppositional figures, advertising outlets, beauty rituals, beauty plagues, and occasionally frightening "therapeutic" techniques. These alphabetized entries run several pages in length, are divided by subject heading, and feature informative illustrations, pull-quotes, and sidebars. A ten-page bibliography rounds out this absorbing term-focused subject overview. A wonderful complement to the subject histories Kathy Peiss's Hope in a Jar and Teresa Riordan's Inventing Beauty.
A Dictionary of 20th-Century Communism. Princeton Univ. 2010. 944p. ed. by Silvio Pons & Robert Service. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780691135854. $99.50. REF
Pons (Stalin and the Inevitable War) and Service (Comrades!) bring together the scholarship of nearly 160 field specialists, who offer highly accessible, essay-style entries on the concepts, figures, events, movements, and organizations associated with international modern and postmodern Communist politics. Alphabetized entries, each attributed to an individual scholar, run multiple pages and are often further divided by subject headings for easy information comprehension. Each entry concludes a list of at least five further reading titles, offering researchers a springboard to subject-specific information. A fitting extension to and sophisticated expansion of David Walker and Daniel Gray's 2006 Historical Dictionary of Marxism.
Forman, Edward. Historical Dictionary of French Theater. Scarecrow. (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts). 2010. 308p. bibliog. ISBN 9780810849396. $85. REF
With this singular reference, Forman (French, Univ. of Bristol) reassesses French theater, which is frequently overshadowed by Shakespeare's literary production. After a chronology extending from 1283 to 2009, Forman goes on to narrate an accessible and absorbing if condensed history of French drama, punctuated by helpful chronological subheadings. The 400 alphabetized and fully cross-referenced entries that follow profile subject-relevant authors, movements, genres, concepts, historical figures, significant events, and production locations. While illustrations, like that on the cover, might offer another powerful didactic facet to the work, their omission certainly does not detract from this volume's consequence.
Freeman, Chas W., Jr. The Diplomat's Dictionary. 2d ed. United States Inst. of Peace Pr. 2010. 340p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781601270504. pap. $19.95. REF
In this update to the 1997 edition, retired ambassador Freeman (Arts of Power) uses rapier wit and equally sharp intelligence to explore the subject of statecraft and political appeasement. Its humor and gentle, philosophical irony make it eminently readable. Valuable definitions for terms like ex gratia and sanctions make this book highly practical. Alphabetized entries, which run from a single line to a full paragraph, either offer clear definitions or quotations from significant officials demonstrating the term's contextual meaning. An enlightening reference for both practitioners of diplomacy and curious laypeople.
Gale, Robert L. Truman Capote Encyclopedia. McFarland. 2010. 187p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780786442966. $75. REF
This companion to Capote's oeuvre by Gale (Henry James Encyclopedia) opens with a chronology of the author's life, allowing a glimpse into the events inspiring some of Capote's work. The alphabetized entries that follow cover Capote's characters, short stories, essays, novels, friends, and other important influences. Most illuminating are the short story and essay profiles, which detail original publication information and plot details, Capote's relevant commentary, and critical response. The significantly shorter character entries are somewhat less enlightening, as they presuppose close acquaintance with the stories referenced and do not offer symbolic or critical interpretation. Still, a very worthwhile subject reference.
Hamilton, Geoff & Brian Jones. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Writers and Their Work. Facts On File. (Literary Movements). 2010. 289p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780816075782. $75. REF
Hamilton and Jones (coauthors, Encyclopedia of American Popular Fiction) compile the first print guide of its kind. Inside, alphabetized entries run multiple pages, offering plot synopses and biographical details. Happily, speculative fiction writers like Tananarive Due and genre-blenders like Jonathan Lethem are included, mirroring contemporary literature's progressive, cross-genre spirit. The book's flaw lies in its complete omission of the vibrant online writing world, where authors like Roxane Gay, Terese Svoboda, Matt Bell, and Blake Butler bear the validating if nontraditional accolades warranting their inclusion. For this reason, the guide cannot be considered a comprehensive contemporary author reference.
Mira, Alberto. Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema. Scarecrow. (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts). 2010. 496p. bibliog. ISBN 9780810859579. $115. REF
A perfect companion to Tatjana Pavlovic's 100 Years of Spanish Cinema, this valuable reference explores the shape, evolution, and lasting influence of Spanish cinema via informative, alphabetized profiles of Spanish producers, directors, cinematographers, film companies, actors, and landmark films. Entries are multiple paragraphs long and illuminate both the symbolic details of films and the creative hallmarks of filmmakers. Mira (Cinema of Spain and Portugal) opens with a chronology and a fascinating 30-page essay charting Spanish cinema's initial development, its value as an instrument of self-definition, and its repeated adaptation for political or historically recuperative ends. An excellent cultural studies resource.
