College and Research Libraries


Selected Reference Books of 1994 

Eileen Mcilvaine 

his article follows the pattern 
set by the semiannual series 
initiated by the late Con-

Mll!l~tll stance M. Winchell more 
than thirty-five years ago and continued 
by Eugene P. Sheehy. Because the purpose 
of the list is to present a selection of recent 
scholarly and general works of interest 
to reference workers in university librar-
ies, it does not pretend to be either well 
balanced or comprehensive. A brief 
roundup of new editions of standard 
works is provided at the end of the article. 
Code numbers (such as AD540 and 
1CJ251) have been used to refer to titles 
in the Guide to Reference Books, 10th ed. 
(Chicago: ALA, 1986) and the Supplement 
. . . Covering Materials from 1985-1990 (Chi-
cago: ALA, 1992). 

Biography 
Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopiidie (DBE). 

Ed. by Walther Killy. Munich: K.G. 
Saur, 1995-. v.1-. (ISBN 3-598-23160-1). 
In progress, to be in 10 vols. 

This encyclopedia attempts to provide 
brief, factual information about Germans 
who had an impact on the culture, intel-
lectual development, or history of their 
period; it does not include those currently 
living. When complete, its estimated 56,000 
entries will offer broader but briefer cov-
erage than the other two standard Ger-
man biographical sources: the 26,000-en-

try, 56-volume Allgemeine deutsche Biogra-
phie (1875-1912. AJ202), and the still in 
progress Neue deutsche Biographie (AJ207). 

I did a brief comparison between the 
first volumes of the DBE and the NDB. 
The first entry in both is Hans Aachen, 
who gets one and a half columns in the 
NDB, with ten additional sources. The 
new encyclopedia gives him a brief para-
graph, with one additional source (indi-
cated by a charming icon. of an open 
book); the additional source is an art dic-
tionary published in 1922; the NDB entry 
is not cited. With a few exceptions for 
some longer, signed entries (Bach and Bis-
marck), only one additional source, often 
the ND B, is provided . 

Most, though not all, of the entries in 
the NDB are in the newer work, while 
quite a few of the encyclopedia entries are 
not in the NDB. Any large library will 
need to add this new work for its breadth, 
and smaller libraries will find it a useful 
and convenient source.-M.C. 

Religion 
Bitton, Davis. Historical Dictionary of Mor-

monism. Historical Dictionaries of Re-
ligion, Philosophy, and Movements 2. 
Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press., 1994. 
339p. $39.50 (ISBN 0-8109-2779-4). LC 
93-3592. 

Historical Atlas of Mormonism. Ed. by S. 
Kent Brown, Donald Q. Cannon, and 

Eileen Mcilvaine is Head of Reference and Collections, Butler Library, Columbia University, New York, 
NY 10027. Although it appears under a byline, this list is a project of the Reference Departments of 
Columbia University Libraries, and notes are signed with the initials of one of the following staff mem-
bers: Kathe Chipman, Katherine Keller, Avery Library; James L. Coen, Business Library; Mary Cargill, 
Olha della Cava, Robert H. Scott, Sarah Spurgin, and Junko Stuveras, Butler Library. 

433 



434 College & Research Libraries 

Richard H. Jackson. New York: Simon 
& Schuster, 1994. 169p. 32cm. $37.50. 
(ISBN 0-13-045147-0.) LC 94-21912. 

The authors and editors of both works 
teach at Brigham Young University (BYU) 
and at the University of Utah, and, from 
the tone of the introductions, are mem-
bers of the Mormon Church. (The entry 
for BYU in the Historical Dictionary al-
ludes to the "uniqueness or special aura 
that sets BYU apart from most other uni-
versities"-p. 44.) 

Both introductions clearly establish the 
authors' points of views. The atlas is a 
portrait of success: "The 20th century 
brought ever increasing growth to the 
Mormon church . . . [and] has trans-
formed it into a worldwide multicultural 
organization whose membership remains 
committed to the doctrines and beliefs es-
poused by the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr." 
(Introd.). The author of the Historical Dic-
tionary of Mormonism feels that the spec-
tacular growth of the church, from a 
handful in 1830 to the eight million to-
day, is due in part to Mormonism not be-
ing a new religion but "rather a restora-
tion of the same church Christ estab-
lished, bringing back the same doctrine 
and authority" (Introd.). The Mormons are 
successful, he feels, because they "scorn 
the values of the Hollywood elite and 
mass media ... [and] will continue to ad-
vance their religion." He adds, however, 
that "it would serve no useful purpose in 
an introductory dictionary to engage 
in polemic" and both works avoid the 
blatant partisanship of the five-volume 
Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: 
Macmillan, 1992), whose entries tend to 
be extensive quotations from and justifi-
cations for official Mormon doctrine. 

The atlas is divided into brief chapters 
with maps on one page and text accom-
panied by short bibliographies on 
the facing page. The maps concentrate on 
the early history and current worldwide 
growth of the church but lack any serious 
sociological or economic analysis of its 
members. The dictionary is arranged al-

September 1995 

phabetically, with short (usually a para-
graph) entries for people, events, and 
beliefs. It has a lengthy bibliography, cit-
ing mainly Mormon imprints, making it 
a very useful guide to primary sources. 

Though by no means objective over-
views either of the outstanding Ameri-
can success story nor of the reasons for 
the hatred and violence the Mormons 
have faced, these are useful sources illus-
trating the strength of the religion.-M.C. 

English and American Literature 
Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century 

Poetry in English. Ed. by Ian Hamilton. 
Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1993. 602p. 
$38.25. (ISBN· 0-19-866147-9.) LC 93-
1436. 

This book is intended to be a reference 
work as well as a history, a map for ex-
ploring poetry in English since 1900. It 
includes not only Great Britain and the 
United States but also Australia, Canada, 
and other English-speaking countries, 
and covers about "1,500 poets, including 
550 British, an equal number of Ameri-
can, 120 Australian, llOCanadian, 60 Af-
rican and 40 Asian poets. Among them 
are 200 women and 100 Blacks" (p. xi). 
Another 100 or so entries cover subjects, 
e.g., schools, movements, notable maga-
zines. The major emphasis of this guide 
is on individual poets and a typical entry 
for a poet includes a brief biography, criti-
cal appraisal, list of major works, and a 
bibliography. Entries are signed with the 
initials of the contributor. 

This work is better than many of the 
encyclopedias of literature which are of-
ten mere repackaging of previous works 
without any clear editorial concepts be-
hind them. It is suitable for a wide read-
ership, from high school students to grad-
uate students who want a concise, well-
written essay for a quick review. General 
poetry readers will enjoy it too.-J.S. 

Pitcher, Edward W. R. Fiction in Ameri-
can Magazines before 1800: An Annotated 
Catalogue . Schenectady, N.Y.: Union 



College Pr., 1993. 321 p. $42.50. (ISBN 
0-91275-627-6.) LC 93-060539. 

It is always so satisfying when someone 
publishes a reference book that is useful 
and fills a need. Fiction in American Maga-
zines before 1800 provides new access to 
early American periodical fiction hile 
showing the degree to which American 
periodicals borrowed from English and 
French literature. 

The author has searched all the titles 
in the UMI American Periodicals Series 
(and some of the 'titles in APS II; see 
AE26) as well as selected titles in the 
Readex Microprint series Early American 
Newspapers . Works of fiction are listed al-
phabetically by title, and entries include 
the citation, source (e.g., whether a re-
printing of a British story or a translation 
of a French work), and further printings. 
A separatf author, signature, and special 
subject index lists entries for authors' 
names and pseudonyms, with a few spe-
cial interest lists for fiction relating 
to Native Americans, slaves, and, by far 
the largest, stories from or treating Asia. 
Another section provides a chronological 
listing of fiction published within each 
magazine, and the final section provides 
a checklist of sources. Highly recom-
mended for all libraries supporting study 
of American literature.-S.S. 

Slocum, Robert B. New England in Fiction 
1787-1990: An Annotated Bibliography. 
West Cornwall, Conn.: Locust Hill Pr., 
1994. 2 vols. 980p. $100. (ISBN 0-
933951-54.) LC 93-47349. 

New England in Fiction is an annotated 
bibliography of 4,975 works of fiction, 
mostly novels and short stories, pub-
lished in the United States between 1787 
and 1990. The works have New England 
(i.e., Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, 
Massachusetts, Rh<?de Island, and Con-
necticut) as their setting. Works of drama, 
poetry, and children's fiction are ex-
cluded. The annotations, mainly plot 
summaries, were either composed by the 
compiler, or excerpted from book reviews. 

Selected Reference Books 435 

This monumental compendium makes 
a significant contribution to the literary 
history of the U .S., but the compiler had 
a more specific purpose in mind: to show 
how writers of diverse eras and back-
grounds, including non-New England-
ers, portrayed the "Yankee" character and 
locale in their fictional writings. Thus, 
while the alphabetical author arrange-
ment of the entries, the title index, and 
the chronological listing of works pub-
lished between 1787 and 1865 make this 
bibliography a superb look-up tool, it is 
the subject and place indexes through 
which new perspectives on the changing 
history and character of the region and 
its inhabitants can be traced.-O.dC. 

European Literature 
Dictionary of Polish Literature. Ed. by B. J. 

Czerwinski. Westport, Conn.: Green-
wood Pr., 1994. 488p. $85. (ISBN 0-313-
2622-5.) LC 93-49540. 

With the publication of this volume, the 
amount of reference information in En-
glish on a major European national litera-
ture has taken a quantum leap. Compiled 
by Edward Czerwinski, Halina Gerber, 
and Jan Wojnowski, this work is based 
closely on-and in many places repre-
sents a near translation or summary of-
an earlier, much larger work in Polish, 
Literatura Polska: Przewodnik Encyklope-
dyczny (Warszawa: PWN, 1984-1985. 2 
vols. Suppl. 1987). However, pains have 
been taken to bring the treatment up 
to date, including significant new cover-
age of emigre and underground literature 
not treated in the source text. 

The result is a volume of approxi-
mately 150 articles, mostly devoted to in-
dividual authors from the Middle Ages 
to the present, but also including articles 
on the major periods of Polish literary his-
tory, on Poland's universities and their 
place in literature and literary criticism, 
and on a few key journals and anony-
mous works. Unfortunately, the over-
views of individual periods are filed 
alphabetically among the other entries so 



436 College & Research Libraries 

that a user must know, for example, that 
coverage of the period from the 1860s to 
the 1890s is to be found under the head-
ing "Positivism." Even more problematic 
is the apparent assumption that non-
Polish readers will know the Polish 
names for the period 1890-1918 or for the 
unofficial, uncensored literature of the 
1970s and 1980s (they are filed under 
"MJ'oda Polska" and "Drugi Obieg" re-
spectively with no cross references). Each 
entry concludes with a very brief biblio-
graphic listing, including the most im-
portant edition or editions of an 
author's work, one or two key studies, 
and any significant translations into 
English. The work concludes with a 
two-page bibliography of surveys in 
Polish and English and an index of 
proper names. 

In any case, this work represents a sig-
nificant new source of information about 
Poland's rich literary heritage for non-
Polish readers, and while advanced re-
searchers will want to consult the Polish-
language source for fuller coverage, they, 
too, will find some important supple-
mentary material here. It is thus well 
suited for both public and academic li-
braries with significant coverage of 
world literature in general, and essential 
for all with serious coverage of the Slavic 
and East European fields.-R.H.S. 

Kunoff, Hugo. Portuguese Literature from 
Its Origins to 1990: A Bibliography Based 
on the Collections of Indiana University. 
Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Pr., 1994. 
497p. $49.50. (ISBN 0-8108-2844-8.) LC 
93-49699. 

Indiana University Library's collection of 
Portuguese literature is one of the richest 
in the country, especially in works by and 
about the major Portuguese literary 
figures. This bibliography is based on that 
library's holdings, including the holdings 
of its rare book library. It extends beyond 
commonly held materials to ephemeral 
and related works, such as single plays, 
biographies of actors, sermons, accounts 

September 1995 

of voyages of discovery, and the works of 
early historians. It covers Portuguese lit-
erature from its beginnings to 1990, with 
some post-1990 titles also added. 

The main body of the work is devoted 
to individual authors, listed alphabeti-
cally within several time periods, fol-
lowed by entries for works by and about 
them. But there are several other sections, 
including a chapter devoted to bib-
liographies, a section on literary history 
and criticism, one on collections of liter-
ary works, and a list of the major peri-
odicals in the field. 

Though not a definitive bibliography, 
it is thorough, comprehensive, and well 
organized, and has the added virtue of 
assuring the scholar that a listed item is 
at least available at the University of In-
diana Libraries.-O.dC. 

Reader's Encyclopedia of Eastern European 
Literature. Ed. by Robert B. Pynsent 
with the assistance of S. I. Kanikova. 
New York: HarperCollins, 1993. 605p. 
$50. (ISBN 0-06-270007-3.) LC 93-2953. 

It would be an understatement to say that 
the rich and diverse literatures of Eastern 
Europe are not well known in this coun-
try, and so this one-volume work should 
be a welcome addition to the reference 
collections of all academic libraries and 
public libraries with serious coverage 
of world literature. Compiled by a team 
of twenty-four specialists from the Uni-
versity of London and various other in-
stitutions, it surveys the writers and, to a 
lesser extent, history and key anonymous 
or collective works of the literatures of 
those European peoples who have been 
subject, at some point, to the German, 
Austro-Hungarian, Russian, or Ottoman 
empires, excluding writers or works in 
the "imperial" languages (German, Rus-
sian, and Turkish) as well as the works of 
those writers, such as Joseph Conrad or 
Guillaume Apollinaire, who wrote 
primarily in some other foreign language. 
The group so defined comprises Alba-
nian, Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Croa-



tian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, Greek 
(Byzantine and Modern), Hungarian, 
Latvian; Lithuanian, Macedonian, 
Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, 
Slovene, Sorbian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish, 
along with Armenian and Georgian. The 
emphasis of the work, moreover, is al-
most exclusively on belles lettres. 

The first and largest section of the 
work, following a brief historical intro-
duction, consists of entries for some 850 
East European writers, providing a brief 
outline of the lives and work of each, as 
well as some indication of their place in 
the broader context of their national 
literary tradition. Listings of up to three 
key translations or critical works fol-
low many of the articles. Individ-
ual contributors were given relative free-· 
dom in deciding whom to include and 
how much or little to write (although few 
if any ot the entries are more than a page 
and a half in length). As a result, the 
extent of coverage is not always pro-
portional to the relative sizes of the vari-
ous national literatures. In some cases, 
this means an unexpected but welcome 
richness of treatment for small and little-
known (in this country at least) national 
literatures, such as Albanian and Geor-
gian, but in other cases, coverage 
is smaller than one might hope-just 
twenty-one entries for authors in Ukrai-
nian (the largest of the language groups 
represented here) as compared with nine 
for Sorbian (the smallest group of speak-
ers). Most major authors are included. Al-
though inevitably, as in any work of this 
kind, there are omissions of writers a 
reader would have expected to find-this 
reviewer wonders, for example, about 
the absence of such important figures as 
Polish authors Kazimierz Brandys or 
Bruno Szulc, or the prolific and influen-
tial medieval Bulgarian writer Gregory 
Tsamblak. 

The second section is devoted to 
anonymous and collective works, open-
ing with a useful survey of Bible trans-
lations into all of the languages of the re-

Selected Reference Books 437 

gions. The rest of this section, however, 
reflects most sharply the freedom of 
choice given to individual contributors. 
Many important works are included here, 
but there is not the kind of comprehen-
sive coverage one might expect to find in 
an encyclopedic work. Thus, for example, 
while there are brief surveys of Finnish, 
Georgian, and Greek oral poetry 
and entries for two Greek and one Arme-
nian work under the related heading of 
"The Epic," there is no treatment of 
the very well-known South Slavic oral 
epic tradition. Likewise, under the prom-
ising heading of "The Chronicle," there 
is only one entry, for Georgia. 

The last section of the work consists 
of brief survey histories of each of the 
national literatures, along with brief 
listings of key bibliography. Access to 
the work as a whole is facilitated by 
three indexes, one containing lists of the 
authors covered, grouped according to 
language; another listing the anonymous 
or collective works surveyed (essentially 
a table of contents for that section); and 
a third, general index of names and sub-
jects, providing a reasonably detailed 
guide to the coverage of themes, move-
ments, and other subjects in the indi-
vidual entries. 

As suggested here, this work is not a 
perfect one, but it is the only source of its 
kind currently available, and hence ought 
to be given serious consideration as an 
addition to any world literature reference 
collection. At the same time, however, 
readers will want to continue to supple-
ment its coverage with the information 
contained in broader surveys such as the 
Columbia Dictionary of Modern Euro-
pean Literature (BD52).-R.H.S. 

Performing Arts 
Brewer's Theatre: A Phrase and Fable Dictio-

nary. London: Cassell; New York: 
HarperCollins, 1994. 513p. $35. 
(ISBN 0-06-2700-43-X.) LC 94-016436. 

Inspired by the well-known Dictionary of 
Phrase and Fable (BD89), this work "aims 



438 College & Research Libraries 

to cover all aspects of theatrical life, lan-
guage, and legend ... [and to provide] 
a treasury of fascinating and out-of-the-
way information not usually included in 
conventional reference books" (Pre[.). 
It has a definite British slant, but consid-
ering Britain's theatrical preeminence, 
this is not a major drawback. But surely 
the term "green room" is not limited to 
the Drury Lane Theatre and "several 
other theatres" (p. 202). It is arranged al-
phabetically, with brief paragraphs 
discussing actors, playwrights, plays, 
and theatrical expressions. Much of the 
information can be found in other, 
similar reference works such as the vari-
ous Oxford companions and the Cam-
bridge guide, but these don't have such 
priceless tidbits as Kenneth Tynan's pan 
of the Flower Drum Song as "the world of 
woozy song." -M.C. 

New York Public Library Performing Arts 
Desk Reference. New York: Macmillan, 
1994. 424p. $35. (ISBN 0-671-79912.) 
LC 94-22673. 

This dictionary I directory /bibliography 
divides performing arts into three sec-
tions-theater, music, and dance-and 
provides brief overviews of some of the 
main events. "The evolution of Western 
theater" takes four pages, "Introduction 
to opera" gets eleven pages, and the 
life and work of William Shakespeare gets 
three pages. There are brief biographies 
of some major players in these fields, lists 
of some major awards (all American), and 
brief bibliographies. Brevity has its draw-
backs, and subtlety is not one of this 
work's strengths. Some of the entries 
sound as if they came from high school 
term papers: "It is an amazing fact that 
Beethoven wrote most of his work after 
he had gone deaf in 1802" (p. 157); and 
"Wagner also introduced the idea of 
Leitmotif to music" (p. 173). The facts se-
lected are not always of primary impor-
tance. We are told that Carla Fracci is the 
great-grandniece of Giuseppi Verdi, but 
not of her long association with the 

September 1995 

American Ballet Theatre or of her partner-
ship with Eric Bruhn. 

All the information can be found in 
other, more complete reference sources 
and it is hard to imagine why a librarian 
who has available, for example, the New 
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians 
(BH129) would ever use the music por-
tion. The cachet of the New York Public 
Library may be a selling point but this is 
not a necessary addition.-M.C. 

Art 
Bibliography of Gay and Lesbian Art. Ed. 

by James M. Saslow. New York: CAA 
Gay and Lesbian Caucus, 1994. 112p. 
$18. 

The College Art Association (CAA) is 
breaking ground with its Bibliography of 
Gay and Lesbian Art, begun in 1992 as 
a collaborative effort. It consists of 11,000 
entries (plus some 100 reviews); most, but 
not all, entries have brief annotations, cur-
rent through 1992 and covering English-
language publications (books, journals, 
and museum publications). Arrangement 
is by twelve broad topics: surveys and 
general works; [seven period and me-
dium divisions]; AIDS and the arts; 
theory and criticism, methodology, 
historiography; non-Western art; bibliog-
raphies and research resources [including 
unpublished materials]. Monographs on 
individual artists are selectively cited. 
The index is chiefly to artists and authors, 
with a few organizations and subjects. 

Related titles include Gay and Lesbian 
Studies in Art History, edited by Whitney 
Davis (New York: Haworth Pr., 1994. 
308p. $49.95; first published in 1994 as vol. 
27, nos. 1-2 of Journal of Homosexuality), 
which features twelve essays, footnotes, 
and a name index; and Cassandra L. 
Langer's Feminist Art Criticism: An Anno-
tated Bibliography (New York: G.K. Hall, 
1993. 291p. $50), the primary useful 
source in conjunction with the CAA bib-
liography. Within several index entries for 
lesbians, gay men, and related topics 
are some fifty references.-K.C. 



Byars, Mel. The Design Encyclopedia. New 
York: John Wiley, 1994. 612p. $60. 
(ISBN 0-471-02455-4.) LC 94-9079. 

The intent of this work is "to provide ac-
curate and detailed information on 
people, firms, and materials, directly as-
sociated with the production of the 
decorative and applied arts in the past 
125 years. Most of the entries are for de-
signers of furniture, textiles, glass, 
metalware, wallpaper, and interiors as 
well as ceramicists, industrial designers, 
and interior architects. There are no 
fine artists, photographers, architects, 
and graphic, fashion, and vehicle design-
ers, except those active, if only peri-
pherally, in the decorative and applied 
arts" (Introd.). The geographic scope of 
this work covers Eastern and West-
ern Europe, Japan, Australia, and North 
and South America. Its stated aim is to be 
as comprehensive as possible. 

The approximately 4,800 entries, three-
quarters of which are biographical, are 
arranged alphabetically and are divided 
into the following categories: general 
description and birthplace; awards; and 
a chronological bibliography. The Ency-
clopedia includes, at the end of the 
volume, chronological listings of interna-
tional and specialized exhibitions, fairs, 
and the Biennali di Monza and Trien-
nali di Milano. 

Notable biographical omissions in this 
volume include Ralph Lauren, Mark 
Hampton, Clodagh, and Gianni Ver-
sace. When compared with Contemporary 
Designers (1BF14) and Contemporary Archi-
tects (1BE132), the coverage is broader, but 
the Encyclopedia lacks the signed bio-
graphical essays, the interspersed illus-
trations, and the comprehensive bib-
liographical information with items both 
by and about the designer. However, the 
Encyclopedia's entries for manufacturer, 
firm, movement, design store, and mate-
rial provide useful information which is 
often difficult to find. 

Arranged in two-column format, the 
entries are in bold and daggers are used 

Selected Reference Books 439 

to mark the different categories of infor-
mation. This arrangement works well. 
Four sixteen-page sections of black-and-
white photos are included in the volume. 
The Encyclopedia lacks an index. 

This work brings together the diverse 
world of design in a single alphabetic se-
quence. Despite the omissions listed 
above, the Design Encyclopedia will fill in 
some gaps in academic and public collec-
tions that do not have strong biographical 
reference sources, particularly in the 
decorative and industrial arts.-K.K. 

Women's Studies 
Sherr, Lynn, and Jurate Kazickas. Susan 

B. Anthony Slept Here: A Guide to 
American Women's Landmarks. New 
York: Times Books, 1994. 580p. $18. 
(ISBN 0-8129-2223-9.) LC 93-28701. 

This is a fun and informative guide, filled 
with much local color. Some 2,000 land-
marks are listed, from Carrie Chapman 
Catt's birthplace in Ripon, Wisconsin, to 
Niagara Falls, where in 1901 Annie Edson 
Taylor became the first person to go over 
the Falls in a barrel-and survive. 
The guide is arranged by state and then 
city, with many black-and-white photo-
graphs, an index, and a bibliography. Be-
cause the authors have sought to list land-
marks from throughout the United States, 
criteria for inclusion seem to vary by 
state. There are more pages devoted to 
Arizona than to Illinois, for instance, and 
the Blue Guide to New York (New York, 
1983) lists far more women's landmarks 
than are found in the thirteen pages al-
lotted here. Having said this, it is still an 
amusing and useful reference work, rec-
ommended for libraries of all sizes.-S.S. 

African-American Studies 
Black Women in America: An Historical En.:. 

cyclopedia. Ed. by Darlene Clark Hine. 
Brooklyn: Carlson Publishing, 1993. 2 
vols. (1,530p.) $195. (ISBN 0-926029-
62-9.) LC 92-39947. 

This two-volume, thoroughly researched, 
well-organized, illustrated encyclopedia 



440 College & Research Libraries 

is a welcome addition to the literature on 
the role played by Black women in 
American history. The encyclopedia con-
sists of 641 biographies of individual 
Black women, and 163 articles which deal 
with general topics and organizations in 
which Black women played a central part. 
Of particular importance is the fact 
that many of the persons and topics in-
cluded here have not appeared previ-
ously in standard sources. 

The articles are written by specialists, 
enhanced by well-chosen photographs, 
and always conclude with a bibliography 
of sources for further information. 
This standard format makes the work 
easy to use, while a back-of-the-book in-
dex, a list of topical entries, and another 
of biographical entries arranged by pro-
fession enhance access. A Chronology of 
Black women's history (1619-1992) , a bib-
liography of basic resources in the field, 
including a list of major research collec-
tions of primary materials, and informa-
tive notes on the editors and contributors 
make this one of the best ali-in-one refer-
ence tools on this subject available to date. 

As thorough as this work is, it never-
theless admits to slighting contemporary 
women. Fortunately, there are other ref-
erence sources which pick up the slack-
among them African American Biographies: 
Profiles of 558 Current Men and Women and 
its 1994 supplement, African American Bio-
graphies 2: Profiles of 332 Current Men and 
Women, both compiled by Walter L. 
Hawkins [Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 
1992-1994. 2 vols. (490p., 367p.)]. About 
a third of the entries are for women; to be 
included one must qualify as a "role 
model." The main volume includes 
biographical sketches for women who 
were alive in 1992 or had died in or be-
fore 1968. The supplement extends cov-
erage to those who were living in 1994 or 
had died before 1976. Photographs ac-
company most of the entries.-O.dC. 

African-American Mosaic: A Library of Con-
gress Resource Guide for the Study of 

September 1995 

Black History and Culture. Ed. by 
Debra Newman Ham. Washington, 
D.C.: Library of Congress, [1994]. 
300p. $24. (ISBN 0-8444-0800.) LC 93-
21605. (Superintendent of Documents 
no.: LC 1.6/ 4:AF 8) 

The African-American Mosaic is simulta-
neously a chronological survey, a biblio-
graphic essay, and a documentary history. 
Nine chapters trace the experience 
of American Blacks from slavery through 
the Civil Rights era. Incorporated into the 
narrative are the Library of Congress' 
(LC) relevant book, manuscript, and vi-
sual holdings. The text is printed on high-
quality paper and richly illustrated with 
superb color and black-and-white repro-
ductions of photographs, posters, flyers, 
drawings, and etchings from the library's 
collections. 

The stated purpose of this guide, how-
ever, is not so much to be an illustrated 
chronological history, but an aid to re-
searchers by providing a survey of LC 
holdings in Black history and culture. 
The compilers of the guide fulfill this goal 
by providing a name, title, and limited 
subject index, and by adding LC location 
symbols to the bibliographic references in 
the narrative. To the serious researcher 
and reference librarian the traditional 
annotated bibliography and collection 
level archival guide, provided they are 
thorough and well organized, are prefer-
able. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful and in-
formative book.-O.dC. 

Crayton, Tabatha. The African-American 
Address Book. New York: Berkley Pub., 
1995. 288p. $11. (ISBN 0-399-52148-8.) 
LC 94-30205. 

This is a useful little book, provided 
one accepts its limitations. It is useful 
because it brings together in one corn-
pact volume the addresses and phone 
numbers of some 3,500 individuals and 
equally as many agencies and organi-
zations in the areas of media, arts, en-
tertainment, writing, publishing, sports, 
religion, education, business, and politi-



cal and cultural life. Within each area, 
however, the coverage is uneven. While 
such sections as "Newspapers" or "Col-
leges and Universities" are quite compre-
hensive, other sections--such as "Educa-
tors" with 103 entries, or "Historians" 
with four entries-clearly fall short of 
covering the field. It is, however, a good 
place to start. Unfortunately, there is no 
index, so looking up a known name is 
difficult. 

If your library needs more thorough 
coverage of African-American institu-
tions and organizations, and more exten-
sive information than simply name, ad-
dress, telephone number, and a one-
word identification here and there, the 
Black Americans Infonnation Directory 1994/ 
95, edited by Wendy S. Van de Sande (3d 
ed. Detroit: Gale, 1993. 556p.; 1CC205) 
with its 5,300 organizations, agencies, as-
sociations, institutions, programs, publi-
cations, libraries, museums, etc., is a 
much better reference tool than the Afri-
can-American Address Book.-O.dC. 

Business 
Handbook of Equity Derivatives. Ed. by Jack 

Clark Francis, William W. Toy, and J. 
Gregg Whittaker. Chicago: Irwin Pro-
fessional Pub., 1995. 685p. $85. 
(ISBN 1-5562-3594-1.) LC 94-21173. 

The editors state in the preface that their 
goal is "to allow nonspecialists to gain an 
understanding of the basic behavior of 
equity derivative structures." They are 
careful to indicate that in this work they 
are concerned exclusively with equity de-
rivative instruments, and that the 
book's viewpoint is geared toward the 
United States investor. 

In twenty-seven chapters the as-
sembled experts, the majority of whom 
are seasoned practitioners, present de-
tailed description and analysis of every 
aspect of equity derivatives. The chapters 
are grouped into six parts comprising an 
introduction to the basics of equity deriva-
tives, the domestic and international mar-
kets for these instruments, the types of 

Selected Reference Books 441 

derivatives that corporations issue based 
on their own stock, synthetic structures, 
the particular regulatory features (includ-
ing tax, legal, and accounting) of equity 
derivatives, and, finally, essays on the 
current state of equity derivatives and 
their markets. Many of the chapters are 
written in a "how-to" style, laying out 
theory and practice, and frequently am-
plifying these with case study examples. 

There is no overall bibliography, but 
several of the chapters append their own; 
there is a general index. A very useful ad-
dition to most academic and some public 
business libraries.-J.L.C. 

European History 
Atlas de la France de l' an mil: etat de nos 

conaissances. Sous La Direction de 
Michel Parisse. Paris: Picard, 1994. 
129p. 31x31cm. 350F. (ISBN 2-7084-
04057-1.) LC 94-213533. 

The Atlas divides the France of Robert II 
the Pious in the year 1000 into twelve ar-
eas, such as Aquitaine and Gascony, Cen-
tral France, Flanders, Picardy. For each 
region, three maps are presented with an 
explanatory text and a bibliography. The 
first map shows the seats of arch-
bishoprics, bishoprics, monasteries, and 
other religious establishments within dio-
cese borders. The second is a map of for-
tifications: castles, towers, etc, The sites 
mentioned in contemporary documents 
and those based on archeological research 
or later documents are marked differently. 
The third map indicates sites of economic 
activities: cities, markets, tolls, bridges, 
ports, fishing, manufacturing and min-
ing, mints. Rivers and coastlines, both 
historical and current, are indicated. 

Each map is accompanied by a list of 
place names with brief explanations of 
documentary sources. Concluding the 
volume are a general index of names from 
Latin to French and an index to maps by 
French place names. 

This atlas is suitable for university ·li-
braries which have comprehensive collec-
tions in European history and specialli-



442 College & Research Libraries 

braries which have strong European me-
dieval collections.-J.S. 

Sanford, George, and Adriana Gozdecka-
Sanford. Historical Dictionary of Poland. 
European Historical Dictionaries, 
3. Metuchen, N.J.: ScarecrowPr.,1994. 
339p. $49.94. (ISBN 0-8108-2818-9.) LC 
93-43939. 

This third volume in a promising series 
by Scarecrow Press is devoted to the his-
tory of Poland, a topic not particularly 
well covered in English-language refer-
ence sources to date. The heart of the 
work is a dictionary of approximately 420 
entries, providing brief, concrete infor-
mation about key political and cultural 
figures, historical events, political parties, 
major cities and regions, government in-
stitutions, religious groups, and cultural 
organizations. Included here as well are 
slightly longer discussions of art, educa-
tion, literature, and other cultural topics, 
and surveys of relations with individual 
neighboring countries. Preceding the dic-
tionary itself is a variety of useful front 
matter, including a chronological table, a 
list of rulers, a list of important acronyms, 
a (too tiny) map of the country, and a 
twenty-four-page overview of key fea-
tures and developments in the country's 
geography, economy, and history. At the 
book's end is an extensive (100 pages), 
useful bibliography of the key English-
language literature on Polish affairs. 
There is no index, however, and few 
cross-references. 

While the work encompasses the 
whole of the country's history from the 
ninth century up through 1994, it 
is particularly strong in its coverage of the 
twentieth century. Indeed, it is strikingly 
up-to-date with its useful characteriza-
tions of many contemporary politicians 
and parties. Coverage of the medieval 
and early modern periods are less com-
prehensive, although that is probably 
inevitable in a volume of this size. Amore 
serious shortcoming, however, is the de-
cided de-emphasis of the former Polish-

September 1995 

Lithuanian state's eastern lands, which 
included much of present-day Lithuania, 
Belarus, and Ukraine. While these lands 
are certainly no longer part of postwar 
Poland, they were a crucial component of 
its history and culture for more than 500 
years, and a fuller treatment of this 
area certainly seems to be needed. (For 
example, the guide contains no references 
to Wilno (Vilnius) or Lwow (Lviv), two 
urban centers of prime significance to 
Polish history and culture, even though 
both now lie outside the borders of the 
Polish state.) 

These qualifications notwithstanding, 
this book is a well-written and much 
needed addition to the field. Students and 
researchers will find it a handy per-
sonal reference, and libraries with serious 
coverage of European history should cer-
tainly add it to their reference coll-
ections.-R.H.S. 

Times Atlas of European History. Contribu-
tors: Mark Almond et al.; maps pre-
pared by Bartholomew, Edinburgh. 
London: Times Books; New York: 
HarperCollins, 1994. 206p. $40. (ISBN 
0-05-270101-0.) LC 94-213533. 

The Times Atlas covers the historical pe-
riod from 900 B.C. (Mesopotamian cities) 
to 1993 (the fall of communism), present-
ing European political systems at forty-
six key dates. The emphasis is clearly and 
intentionally on political systems from 
the rise of Near Eastern city states to the 
demise of the Eastern Bloc under the Rus-
sian hegemony. Most sections consist of 
two facing pages divided between maps 
and text to explain the historical devel-
opment presented by the maps. Major 
events such as Revolutionary Europe, the 
Congress of Vienna, and the Unification 
of Germany are given twice the space. 

The Atlas is very narrowly focused on 
the territorial states in Europe. Readers 
should not expect to find a map of 
the British Empire or the discovery of the 
New World, but rather should expect a 
map on the growth of Jagiello power 



(1440-1526) or the development of the 
Swiss Confederation (1291-1526). The 
introduction proposes this approach 
to European history as a framework and 
a starting point for other kinds of history 
which might deal with mentalities, ideas, 
institutions, and movements. 

The same size basic map of Europe is 
used throughout, and this makes it easier 
to compare, for example, the Habsburg 
possessions with the Napoleonic con-
quest. The concise text captures the zest 
of political history. The geographical in-
dex is detailed to direct the reader to the 
place name at a specific historical period. 
The volume ends with a bibliography of 
historical and thematic atlases, gazetteers, 
and books on European political history. 

This Atlas should be used in conjunc-
tion with an atlas of world history. Schol-
ars would not be doing justice to the Eu-
ropean political systems if we limit our 
scope of study to Europe proper and ig-
nore their lasting impact on the rest of the 
world. As the work stands, it seems an 
advocate for the virtues of nation states 
in the face of the emerging European 
union.-J.S. 

New Editions and Supplements 
The third edition of the Bibliography of 
Canadian Bibliographies, edited and com-
piled by Ernie Ingles (Toronto: Univ. of 
Toronto Pr., 1994. 1,178p. $150; 2d ed. 
1972. AA47), has grown to 7,375 entries 
covering bibliographies from 1789 to 
rnid-1993 and arranged by broad subjects, 
e.g., History and Genealogy. Fully 553 
of the 1,178 pages are indexes: Authors, 
Titles, Subjects in English, Subjects in 
French, Short Entry Section, Serial Titles 
Searched. 

The British Library has continued the 
bibliographies of its holdings of early 
printed books: Catalogue of Books Printed 
in the German-Speaking Countries and of 
German Books Printed in Other Countries 
from 1601 to 1700 Now in the British Library, 
compiled by David Paisey (London, 1994. 
5 vols.) which is a sequel to Short-Title 

Selected Reference Books 443 

Catalogue of Books . . . 1455 to 1600 (1961. 
AA768) and Supplement (1990. 1AA118); 
and the Short-Title Catalogue of Eighteenth 
Century Spanish Books in the British Library, 
compiled by Harold Whitehead (London, 
1994. 3 vols.) which continues the Short 
Title Catalogue of Books Printed in Spain and 
Spanish Books Printed Elsewhere in 
Europe before 1601 Now in the British Library 
(2d ed. 1989. 1AA187). 

Through the 1985 supplement and the 
volume for Missing Persons, 1,518 women 
were treated in the Dictionary of National 
Biography (AJ217, 1AJ66) and 34,533 men, 
for a ratio of 23 to 1. This is one of the 
facts presented by Gillian Fenwick in her 
index, Women and the "Dictionary of Na-
tional Biography": A Guide to DNB volumes 
1885-1985 and "Missing Persons" (Adler-
shot, Hants., England: Scholar Pr.; Brook-
field, Vt.: Ashgate, 1994. 18lp. $59.95). 
"The book begins with a general over-
view of the DNB from 1880s to the present 
day with particular reference to the role 
of women both as subjects and contribu-
tors." (Pref.). Following the essay is a 
list of the women who have biographical 
sketches, a list of women contributors, a 
list of male contributors who have written 
about women, and a table of occupations 
of women subjects. 

1 

The Supplement to American Women 
Writers, edited by Carol Hurd Green and 
Mary Grimsley Mason (Westport, Conn.: 
Greenwood, 1994. 522p. $95; for earlier 
title see BD362) offers updates on many 
women covered in the earlier set, e.g., 
Alice Walker, as well as new articles on 
writers who have become prominent 
since the 1970s, e.g., Barbara Kingsolver. 

A companion title is Italian Women 
Writers: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook, 
edited by Rinaldina Russell (Westport, 
Conn.: Greenwood Pr., 1994. 476p. 
$89.50), which describes the "51 most sig-
nificant Italian women writers of the 14th 
century to the present day" (Pref.). These 
women have written in Italian or in Latin. 
Each sketch includes a biographical out-
line, a critical discussion of the author's 



444 College & Research Libraries 

writing including current themes and her 
place in literature, a bibliography of pri-
mary works and works translated into 
English, and a selective bibliography of 
criticism. The contributors are mostly 
from academic institutions. 

The New Oxford Companion to Literature 
in French, edited by Peter France (New 
York: Oxford Univ. Pr.; Oxford: Claren-
don Pr., 1995. 865p. $49.95) is totally re-
vised from the earlier edition, Oxford Com-
panion to French Literature (1959. BD999). 
The change in title is indicative of the 
"shift in emphasis from French literature 
to literature in French." (Introd.). Articles 
are signed with initials and often include 
short bibliographies. The appendix of-
fers a chronology in parallel columns for 
monarch or regime, cultural history, and 
authors. A section of maps is included. 

The Fundamental'naia Biblioteka 
Obshchestvennykh Nauk has produced 
a number of bibliographies on history 
and languages (see BC2-BC3, OC520). In 
the late 1950s the librarians compiled a 
bibliography of literary theory and criti-
cism written in the SOviet Union, in Rus-
sian, and published between 1917 and 
1925: Sovetskoe literaturovedenie i kritika 
1917-1925: bibliograficheskii ukazatel. The 
compilation was never published because 
of disagreements with the publisher, the 
Akademiia Nauk SSSR, which demanded 
that certain entries be dropped. (A shorter 
listing did appear in Sovetskoe litera-
turovedenie i kritika: Russkaia sovetskaia 
literatura ... knigi i stati, 1917-1962g in 
1966; see BD1326). Norman Ross has now 
published the complete bibliography, 
with editorial assistance from INION 
(New York: Norman Ross, 1994. 3 vols. 
$300). Consisting of 8,100 entries ar-
ranged topically, the bibliography empha-
sizes Russian literature most strongly but 
the non-Russian literatures in the Soviet 
Union and world literature are also cov-
ered. Volume two has specific authors. 

The second edition of Women Artists: 
An Historical, Contemporary, and Feminist 
Bibliography (Metuchin, N.J.: Scarecrow 

September 1995 

Pr., 1994. 454p. $59.50; 1sted., 1978. BE12) 
compiled by Sherry Piland, adds infor-
mation on an additional twenty-nine art-
ists but excludes women architects. It ap-
pears to be current only through 1989 and 
lacks an index. Coverage is still in two 
sections: general works (books, periodi-
cals, catalogs) and individual artists (by 
century, beginning with the 15th cen-
tury).-K.C. 

Robert T. Packard revised the Encyclo-
pedia of American Architecture (New York: 
McGraw-Hill, 1994. 724p. $89; 1st ed., 
1980, by William Dudley Hunt Jr., BH270). 
It now features color photographs 
and expanded sections for computer use 
in the profession, energy conservation, ac-
cessible design, landscape architecture, 
and changes in design thinking, as well 
as new biographies of several leading in-
dividuals and firms.-K.C. 

The National Register of Historic Plaees, 
1966 to 1994: Cumulative List through Janu-
ary 1, 1994 (Washington, D.C.: National 
Park Service, Preservation Pr., National 
Trust for Historic Preservation, National 
Conference of State Historic Preservation 
Officers, 1994. 923p.) has grown substan-
tially over the 1989 compilation (1BE128). 
Described as a collaborative venture with 
the compiler, African American Historic 
Places: National Register of Historic Places, 
edited by Beth L. Savage (Washington, 
D.C.: Preservation Pr., 1994. 623p. $24.95) 
includes eight essays, brief histories of the 
properties, and indexes by city, occupa-
tion, names of individuals and organiza-
tions, subject, and National Register list-
ing.-K.C. 

At long last we have received the third 
edition of the American Historical Asso-
ciation's Guide to Historical Literature (New 
York: Oxford Univ. Pr., 1995. 2 vols. 
(2,027p.) $150). The second edition (DAl) 
is over thirty-five years old and terribly 
dated. The new edition has about 27,000 
entries in a classified arrangement which 
is outlined at the beginning of each sec-
tion. Also new is the discussion beginning 
each section which summarizes the issues 



and developments in the subject and the 
greater emphasis on social and cultural 
history, history of women, history 
of Native Americans. The entries are 
heavily English language and the whole 
thrust of the compilation is toward 
the beginning researcher or the researcher 
moving into a related field. The proof will 
come in using it, of course, but on first 
appearance reference librarians andre-
searchers should be very pleased. 

Joyce Horn has compiled another 
supplement to the previous listings of 
theses completed in history begun by 
Phyllis M. Jacobs (for earlier lists see 
DA25): History Theses 1981-1990: Histori-
cal Research for Higher Degrees in the Uni-
versities of the United Kingdom (London: 
Univ. of London, Institute of Historical 
Research, 1994. 319p.) based on the an-
nual lists put out by the Institute of His-
torical Research at the University of Lon-
don (OC286). Some 5,000 entries are clas-
sified according to period, topic, and 
country. Some of the titles are omissions 
from the previous compilations. Detailed 
subject index provided. 

Two reference sources reflect the 
breakup of the Soviet Union: The Cam-
bridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Soviet 
Union (0C565) has been rewritten with 
particular attention to the last ten years 
of Communist rule. Now called the Cam-
bridge Encyclopedia of Russia and the Former 

Selected Reference Books 445 

Soviet Union, edited by Archie Brown, 
Michael Kaser, and Gerald S. Smith (2d 
ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 
1994. 604p. $50) it offers good coverage 
through 1991 with some additional infor-
mation for 1992-1993. Heavily illustrated, 
many of the maps and photographs are 
new to this edition. 

Helen F. Sullivan and Robert H. Burger 
are continuing the bibliographies that 
Stephan Horak compiled (DC23-24, 
1DC13). Thus far only the volume for 
Russia and the former Soviet Union has 
appeared: Russia and the Former Soviet 
Union: A Bibliographic Guide to English Lan-
guage Publications, 1986-1991 (Engle-
wood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1994. 
380p. $67.50). Sullivan used ABSEES and 
Books in Print to pull together 1,421 titles 
with descriptive annotations. The volume 
for Eastern Europe is to appear this sum-
mer, compiled by Burger. 

The Annual Egyptological Bibliography 
1988~1991, compiled by L. M. J. Zonhov-
en with the collaboration of W. Hove-
streydt (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 
1994. 289p. DD115), addresses the gap 
that has been widening in the 
publication schedule of the annual bibli-
ography. This first part treats 1988-1991 
publications, which are classified in the 
AEB as books and which have been re-
ceived for review. The 1992 annual 
is promised for 1995. 

College & Research Libraries' Changes 
C&RL is now being published by the Association of College and Research Librar-
ies (ACRL) under the direction of Mary Ellen K. Davis, Hugh Thompson, and 
Pam Spiegel, with editorial assistance from Darlena Davis. In addition to chang-
ing publishers, the editor and the editor-designate have made a number of stylis-
tic changes. ACRL members may now expect copies of the journal to arrive dur-
ing the third week of the month.