557 Pages l PDF l ISBN: 1414418922 l Publisher: Gale Cengage l Size: 7 MB

Covering nearly 7000 notable figures from many cultures and time periods right up to the present day, this update of a standard resource is readable, often very lively, and extremely informative. The set incorporates the first edition and the supplemental volumes that appeared thereafter, all updated and revised, in addition to 500 new articles. The alphabetically arranged entries contain brief summary paragraphs, longer essays about the subjects’ lives and work, short lists for further reading, and, in most cases, black-and-white portraits. The most impressive aspect of this work is that the essays provide not only the basic biographical information but are also often quite insightful as to the position and importance of a particular individual. The piece on William Carlos Williams even goes as far as to question the accepted critical treatment of the poet as a concrete modernist and link him instead to the emotional/spiritual tradition of Walt Whitman. Though one might not agree with a particular view, it is refreshing to find such bold writing in an encyclopedia. There are some minor weaknesses. Some well-known figures, such as Jellyroll Morton and Lillian Gish, are not given main entries. The index, which lists names and subjects, has some inconsistencies. For instance, Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini is not listed under the heading of “Motion pictures (Europe).” Also, names that might have more than one spelling-e.g., Mother Theresa/Teresa- are not cross-referenced. However, the broad scope, strong content, and inviting text make this resource both useful and easy to browse.

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