Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Oxford Dictionary of World History, 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 1 vol. 712 p. $39.95. ISBN 10: 0-19-92024-8; 13: 978-0-19-920247-8.

Students who need to find a snippet about a historical figure or event should go first to this resource. In the over 4,000 entries, they will find biographies of key figures in history, every country of the world (with a black and white line map), the capital city, area, population, currency, religions, ethnic groups, languages, international organizations, and important historical events. The short entries will appeal to student less interested in a lengthy introduction although the vocabulary is not easy. The Iraq War was given a two-month duration (March-April 2003) beginning in March 21 invasion from Kuwait and ending with the fall of Tikrit on April 24. This volume covers from prehistory to modern day and, as any good dictionary, will be a good first source for quick information.