Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States, 5th ed. Detroit, Mich.: U*X*L Gale, 2007. 4 vols. 1189 p. $235.00. ISBN 10: 1-4144-1095-6; 13: 978-1-4144-1106-4.

While much of this information may be available online, students will be happy to have this resource with the information available to check against any less reliable sources they might find on the Web. In addition, the similarity in information provided allows for ease of comparing and contrasting the states. An outline map of the U.S. is found on the front endpapers and the flags and seals of the states in color are found on the back. The 40 headings for information on each state include location and size, topography, climate, plants and animals, environmental protection, population, ethnic groups, languages, religions, transportation, history, state government, political parties, local government, judicial system, migration, economy, income, industry, labor, agriculture, domesticated animals, fishing, forestry, mining, energy and power, commerce, public finance, taxation, health, housing, education, arts, libraries and museums, communications, press, tourism (travel, and recreation), sports, and famous people. Each entry begins with a black and white flag and seal. Each has a map of the state, a population profile with statistics and a pie chart and a list of the major cities by population. One chart shows population by race and another has the presidential vote by political parties from 1948-2004. Black and white photographs of important buildings, scenes, monuments, and persons illustrate the text. The bibliography and Web sites complete the entry. Each volume also has a five-page glossary, a page of abbreviations and acronyms, and a list of the names of states with their standard and postal abbreviations. The last volume has a cumulative index for all four volumes. This will provide another resource when students are studying the United States.