Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students | Date: 27 April 2011, 11:01
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The highly regarded Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara was published by Scribner in 1997. The editor, John Middleton, has now produced an abbreviated version, appropriate for high-school and undergraduate students and adults. The original included 896 articles. This new version has about 450 entries in just under 1,000 pages. Topics include countries, regions, geographic features, cultural groups, personalities, and general subjects, such as Body adornment and clothing, Oral tradition, and Writing systems.
The preface indicates that many of the original articles have been adapted and updated and that a substantial amount of new information has been added on North Africa. In an effort to make the resource user-friendly, time lines, sidebars, and definitions now appear in margins next to related text; and individual country entries include quick reference fact boxes. Each volume has an eight-page color photo-essay: "People and Culture" in the first volume, followed by "The Land and Its History," "Art and Architecture," and "Daily Life" in subsequent volumes. Additional black-and-white photographs and more than 50 maps are also offered.
Despite these enhancements, the work retains a scholarly mien. Although articles range from a few paragraphs to several pages, dense blocks of text with an encyclopedic style of writing may prove daunting to younger researchers. Subjects are covered in depth and include discussions on adult topics such as female circumcision and various cultural attitudes toward homosexuality.
Comparable in scope and level to Willie F. Page's Encyclopedia of African History and Culture [RBB Ja 1 & 15 02], this offering will be more accessible to researchers because of its straight alphabetical arrangement (African History and Culture is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically). Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students should be seriously considered by high-school, undergraduate, and public library collections that do not own the parent set. RBB
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Review
"Based on the 1997 Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara and overseen by the editor of that publication, John Middleton, this well-illustrated, readable, and clearly organized encyclopedia "covers the same ground as the earlier work at a level suitable for middle and high school students." Eight years in production, its alphabetic articles offer sidebars with definitions of terms and short in-depth explorations of specific aspects of the main subject. Although the articles are not signed (posing a problem for librarians wishing to evaluate their quality), many of them are based on original pieces from the previous set, with updates and changes, and a substantial amount of new information in the section on North Africa is included. ... This work will be most useful for well-funded large public library reference collections, high school libraries, and academic libraries with a strong teacher training component to their curriculum."
-- ARBA (2002) (ARBA 20020801)
"Attractively produced, this comprehensive four-volume compilation on the continent of Africa, from pre-history to present day (2001), is a welcome addition to research tools in the area of African history and culture...This fills a void, as there are no other publications (in a collection) that are so focused on the subject of Africa and with such current data..."
-- Catholic Library World (November 2002) (Doody Enterprises 20020801)
"Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students was also listed in Booklist's Twenty Best Bets for Student Researchers."
-- Booklist (September 2002) (Booklist 20020601)
"This excellent source will be heavily utilized for any introductory study. The 500 alphabetically arranged articles focus on individuals, historical trends, cultural and religious concepts, and natural history...Plenty of black-and-white photographs and reproductions accompany the articles. Each volume also has a centerfold collection of color plates depicting scenes of daily life, land, peoples, and art. An accessible, basic resource for any collection."
-- School Library Journal (August 2002) (School Library Journal 20020419)
"This excellent source will be heavily utilized for any introductory study...An accessible, basic resource for any collection."
-- School Library Journal (August 2002) (School Library Journal )
"The highly regarded Encyclopedia of Africa South of the Sahara was published by Scribner in 1997. The editor, John Middleton, has now produced an abbreviated version, appropriate for high-school and undergraduate students, and adults...In an effort to make the resource user-friendly, time lines, sidebars, and definitions now appear in margins next to related text; and individual country entries include quick reference face boxes. Each volume has an eight-page color photo essay...Additional black-and-white photographs and more than 50 maps are also offered...Should be seriously considered by high-school, undergraduate, and public library collections that do not own the parent set."
-- Booklist (June 2002) (Booklist )
"With all the challenges to a Euro-central view of history, this set on Africa is an important addition to the print reference collection. ...The reading level is high school, but advanced middle school students should do fine. The prose is encyclopedic in nature and there is a brief section of four-color photographs in volume four. This set is an important second-stop on a researcher's journey; a place where a full, authoritative background can be obtained on the way to building a more complete expertise. Highly recommended to bulk up the collection in an area of the world often."
-- Reference Reviews on galegroup.com (April 2002) (Reference Reviews on galegroup.com )
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