Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

World Cultural Leaders of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries, 2nd edition. Jennifer Durham Bass. 2 vols. 1,210p. Millerton, NY: Grey House Publishing, 2008. 978-1-59237-118-1. $195.

World Cultural Leaders of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries This revision of the editor’s biographical dictionary of 2000 expands coverage to include American performers and creative artists. As in the original, the scope includes leading twentieth century figures in art, architecture, music, dance, literature, theater, film and television. Head notes provide name, dates and professions of each artist, while the text details their personal life, career, and critical reactions to their work. All told, some over 600 artists are profiled in 550 entries, the difference in numbers reflecting entries for the Marx Brothers, the Beatles, the Grateful Dead and other performing groups. The publisher notes that portions of the text originally appeared in American Cultural Leaders: From Colonial Times to the Present (ABC-Clio, 1993), but the American entries are substantially re-written, and the bibliographies of all entries are revised to include recent works. World coverage is nearly the same as first edition with the exception of the addition of foreign-born film directors who made much of their career in the United States and the likes of J.K. Rowling. New to this edition are an expanded glossary, foldout timelines, and a guide to museums highlighting individual artists. A brief section of “primary documents” consists of four essays examining the cultural convergences reflected in modern architecture, American history, playwriting and Christian rock music. From Woody Allen, Samuel Beckett and Plácido Domingo to Henri Matisse, Ezra Pound, and Muddy Waters, this biographical collection reflects many of the most influential creative minds of the past century. As a guide to the cultural arts it is suitable to academic and public libraries.
—John R.M. Lawrence