Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

The 19th Century: 1801-1900. Edited by John Powell. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2007. 4 vols. 2577 p. $395.00. ISBN 10: 1-58765-292-7; 13: 978-1-58765-292-9.

This is the perfect recommendation for that student who only uses Google in response to an assignment. The articles here are interestingly written and short, making them a good place to check for facts found online in questionable URLs. Each volume has a key to pronunciation, a list of the contents of all three volumes, and 6 pages of line maps. Essays range from 1,500 to 3,000 words. For each signed article, the name of the person is given with title and a brief introductory summary paragraph. Birth and death dates with places, any other names such as pseudonyms the person might have used as well as alternate spellings, and the areas of achievement are given. The biographies are divided into early life, life's work, and significance and each article has an annotated bibliography for further reading, "see also" references and a list of any related articles. Black and white illustrations are found in some articles and some have inset boxes and sidebars with additional information. The appendixes include a list of rulers and heads of state, a chronological list of entries, and indexes including geographical, personages, and subject index. While some of these articles are based on a previous publication edited by Frank N. Magill, much new material has been added. History teachers will appreciate this new source for students.