Dictionary of Historic Documents | Date: 28 April 2011, 04:34
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Dictionary of Historic Documents (Facts on File Library of World History)
By George C. Kohn
* Publisher: Facts on File
* Number Of Pages: 656
* Publication Date: 2003-04
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0816047723
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780816047727
Product Description:
Arranged in A-to-Z format, this title provides basic factual information about more than 2400 significant historic documents in world history. Included are excerpts or full texts of key acts, constitutions, proclamations, treaties, bills, laws, agreements and speeches among others.
PREFACE
The first edition of this book appeared about a dozen years
ago and received considerable praise. This revised, updated,
and enlarged edition represents my strong conviction that
much of Western history or civilization has been influenced
and distinguished by many famous (and not so famous) public
documents or written records. Among the most important
are the Magna Carta, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
the Communist Manifesto, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, United Nations Resolution 212, Joseph Stalin’s
“Cold War” Speech, and the Camp David Accords, to name
a few that have been included in this reference book.
Presently, a large part of world history has been shaped
by many famous Western documents as well as by many less
familiar (and some fairly unknown) public documents, such
as the Clementine Vulgate, British North America Act, Government
of Ireland Act, Rio Branco Law, Treaty of Tordesillas,
Polish Constitution of 1791, Danton’s “Audacity” Speech, Pillersdorf
Constitution, Syllabus of Errors, Plessy v. Ferguson,
Horace Greeley’s “Prayer,” Thomson-Urrutia Treaty, and
Family Compacts. Some readers may question why I included
some documents that they consider fairly insignificant and
left out others that they deem important. That is their opinion
and privilege. Guided by many objective historical sources
and comments, I was forced to make many choices among
thousands of amazingly diverse documents. In the end, what
was selected for inclusion became principally my decision. I
am, however, immeasurably indebted to numerous historians
and other experts, past and present. A book such as this one
unavoidably relies heavily on the work of others in their specific
fields. Any concise dictionary of this scope and with certain
space limitations is bound to have some noteworthy,
inadvertent omissions. Obviously no reference work can contain
everything about anything. I welcome any suggestions
from readers.
Throughout, the entries are alphabetically listed under the
documents’ commonly known or familiar names. If they have
variant or alternative names (as many do), a “see” reference
directs the reader from these names to the main one used in
the book. In addition, “see also” and cross-references are
used, referring the reader to related entries. A wide-ranging,
single-volume dictionary demands brief treatment in format;
accordingly priority has been given to identification and explication
of when, where, why, and how the documents came
into being and their significance. Included at the end of each
entry are bibliographic primary and/or secondary sources for
each particular document in a “Further reading” reference.
Readers will thus be able to delve deeper into the material, if
they wish. However, readers should be aware that addresses
of websites change frequently; those listed in the dictionary
were current as of press time. The dictionary also has a timetable
of documents with entries in this book, a select bibliography,
listing of documents by category, and a general
index.
Many thanks are extended to the book contributors, who
helped me immensely in the research and writing and who
are listed separately on a preceding page. In the preparation
of the book’s revised edition, I would like to thank the Facts
On File staff, particularly my editor, Claudia Schaab, whose
interest and support were indispensable. I am also grateful for
the valuable advice of Dr. Leonard Latkovski, a friend and
consultant, who wrote the foreword. Thanks also go to the
numerous other persons who helped in the revision of the
dictionary.
—George Childs Kohn
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