Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

American Revolutionary War: A Student Encyclopedia. Eds. Gregory Fremont-Barnes and Richard Alan Ryerson. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC*CLIO, 2007. 5 vols. 2548 p. $485.00. ISBN 10: 1-85109-839-9; 13: 978-1-8510-839-2.

American history teachers and students will love this new introduction to the American Revolution. More than 500 signed articles describe people, places, and events on pages with inset boxes of additional information, black and white photos, maps, charts, graphs, and other illustrations. Entries end with "see also" references and short bibliographies. The essays should move students beyond the textbook into a further explanation of situations and help them determine a next step in researching topics. The pages have much white area making them appealing. It was unclear why two lists of the signers of the Declaration of Independence (in alphabetical order state by state) were placed on opposite pages. Each volume begins with the same list of entries and list of maps helping students check for other information. The last volume has 154 primary source documents, each with a short introduction. A one-page chart of ranks of men serving in both armies, a four-page chronology, two pages of "How to Read Maps," one page each of "How to Read: Primary Sources," and "…Charts and Graphs," a six-page glossary, a 19-page bibliography, two pages of Web sites, and an eight-page "Categorical Index." You will make your history and social studies teachers very happy with this purchase.