Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books
November 2005

Encyclopedia of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era Edited by John D. Buenker and Joseph Buenker. 3 vols. 1,286p. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2005. 0-7656-8051-3; 2003-24653. $299.

Stretching from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the "return to normalcy" in 1920, the so-called Gilded Age and the Progressive Era were periods of great contrasts in American culture. While women and immigrants made steady gains in rights and political participation, Native Americans and blacks were systematically segregated from society. As new industrial barons earned unprecedented profits, millions suffered extreme poverty. Urbanization concentrated wealth in growing cities, but farmers endured sagging prices, overproduction and market manipulations. In foreign affairs, politicians preached isolation, but practiced imperialism. Yet, the spread of railroads, the invention of the telephone, plus the introduction of automobiles and airplanes indicated clear technological progress. Reformers sought to make similar gains in the other arenas. Labor organizers promoted shorter work weeks, better working conditions and standardized wages. Educators pushed for mandatory public school attendance. Temperance leaders pressed for Prohibition. Other influential innovations of this period included the granting of the vote to women, the creation of the federal income tax and the introduction of moving pictures.

With this new encyclopedia, a team of nearly 200 academic historians hope to make this important period more accessible to high school and college students. The arrangement is divided into three parts. An introductory section explores the chief social, economic and political changes of the period. In addition to political reform, labor relations and the economy, the 17 extended essays examine issues of gender, ethnicity, youth, leisure and the arts. An A-Z section of 955 short entries and side bars surveys the key events, people and movements of the era. With this period having such larger-than-life figures as J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Horatio Alger, Susan B. Anthony, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, William Randolph Hearst, Clarence Darrow, Harry Houdini, Scott Joplin and "Babe" Ruth, it is not surprising that most of the entries are biographical. Others feature new or prominent organizations from the Boy Scouts to the Sierra Club. Antitrust legislation, the Black Sox, Darwinism, the Homestead Strike, mail order companies, share cropping and sweatshops are just a few of the topics covered. A final section featuring 100 primary source documents includes extracts from treaties, political speeches, party platforms, court decisions and labor documents. Entries include selective bibliographies, and more than 200 contemporary photographs illustrate the text. A biographical and general index is reprinted in each volume, while the final volume includes a chronology. Designed to fit high school curriculums, this guide will serve public library and undergraduate college collections.