Encyclopedia of the Great Depression Book

Useful as a resource for high school and beginning undergraduate students, this two-volume reference focuses on issues in political science, economics, arts and literature, agriculture, and the environment during the Great Depression, mainly, but not exclusively, in the US. A sampling of topics: the dust bowl, Bonus Army, the American Youth Congress, humor, jazz, charity, class, farm policy, gold standard, consumerism, breadlines, and music. Many entries feature the biographies of important political, historic, and cultural figures. Each entry is cross-referenced and includes a bibliography. B&w illustrations support the text, which was written by academics, mainly at American universities. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

A natural companion to James Climent's more thematically structured Encyclopedia of the Great Depression and the New Deal, this ambitious work contains 542 alphabetically arranged articles covering subjects like politics, literature, sports, law, science, industry, economics, religion, and art. Accompanied by some 300 black-and-white photos and illustrations, the signed essays run from 300 to 5000 words in length and include spare bibliographies. An A-to-Z list of articles, a listing of the 270 specialists with their academic postings together with their contribution, and a summary of essay titles under broad topical headers all precede the main body of the book. McElvaine (The Great Depression: America 1929-1941) provides an interesting array of biographical sketches throughout, profiling such figures as Al Capone, Walt Disney, Amelia Earhart, Woody Guthrie, Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, and scores of others. The work's strength centers on social history and gender/race-related issues. As with all edited works, there are a few examples of overlap and unevenness (e.g., the Abraham Lincoln Brigade entry melds with the Spanish Civil War entry, and the 1932 and 1936 Olympics dominate the "Sports" section). In the contents outline, the editors include a general category for the Left, but nothing for the Right. Bottom Line Despite its flaws, this work is essential for all high school, college, and public libraries because of its impressive scope.-John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.