The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Tour through History from Ancient Times to the Present, edited by Joyce E. Salisbury. 6 vols. 3,602p. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004. 0-313-32541-3; 2003-45724. $599.95.

This ambitious grand tour of social history makes stops in selected periods and places. Separate volumes describe the ancient, medieval and early modern worlds. A fourth volume treats the 17th and 18th centuries together, while the 19th and 20th centuries round out the fifth and sixth volumes. Geographical coverage varies from volume to volume. The ancient world features Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, Nubia and Aboriginal Australia. The medieval volume extends the tour to China, the Islamic world and Polynesia. Distinctive regional experiences can mean additional coverage of some countries. For instance, the volume on the 19th century explores Civil War America, as well as the Western Frontier.

Each volume commences with historical overviews of the featured cultures and brief chronologies. Sections follow on domestic life, economic conditions, intellectual and political developments, material culture, recreation and religious practices. The sections explore additional topics, such as marriage, work, trade, warfare and music. For each topic the practices of the featured cultures are described in turn. The juxtaposition of regional practices allows cross-cultural comparisons of ideas on women, children, science and many other topics. This approach works well if one is trying to investigate a particular subject in many cultures. However, the arrangement interferes with trying to gain a general view of a particular culture.

Helpful features include selected primary sources and a complete cumulative index in each volume. The index proves the key to accessing hundreds of additional topics, from board games and books to alcohol and tobacco use. Based in part upon Greenwood's long-running Daily Life through History series, each volume also contains substantial original material by the volume editors and additional contributors. For those lacking the original series, this set will prove a convenient survey of daily life through history. The publisher also offers an online version. With keyword searching and the promise of updates and new material, the online edition offers some advantages. Pricing varies according to an institution's enrollment figures and ranges from $595 (7,500 students or less) to $995 (20,000 students or more). Significant discounts are available to those buying both the print and online editions. The print set will serve high school, public and undergraduate libraries.