New & Notable Reference Books - February 2008

Revolutionary Movements in World History:  From 1750 to the Present
by James V. DeFronzo, Editor, (REF 303.64 REV) (2006)

Entries included in this encyclopedia cover revolutions and social movements and are divided into six main sections:  chronology; background; context and process of revolution; impacts; people and organizations; and references and further readings.  Theme or concept entries are also included and cover such topics as ideology and propaganda, student movements, and human rights movements.

Civil Wars of the World:  Major Conflicts since World War II by Karl Derouen, Jr. and Uk Heo, Editors, (REF 303.6409 CIV) (2007)

This two-volume set includes regional analyses of conflicts within Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Sahara Africa.  A country-by-country breakdown includes information on the background of the country and the conflict, the causes of the war and the outcome. A chronology, glossary and extensive references are also included.

American Icons:  An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, and Things that Have Shaped Our Culture
by Dennis R. Hall and Susan Grove Hall, Editors, (REF 306.0973 AME) (2006)

An interesting mix of people, places and things have found their way into this three-volume set.  Included in the 100+ articles are entries on Barbie, Betty Crocker, the Grateful Dead, MAD Magazine, and Elvis Presley. Everyone will find something from their past (or present) that will pique their interest!

America’s Top-Rated Cities:  A Statistical Handbook by David Garoogian, Editor, (REF 317.3 AME) (2007)

The 14th edition of this four-volume set is a concise, statistical work listing America’s top-rated cities with populations of 100,000 or more.  The 100 cities included in the regionally arranged source are known for their high quality business and living environments.  Any business or individual considering relocating to one of these cities will want to look at the many statistics included for each city. Statistics on employment, real estate, demographics, housing, health and transportation are among the many areas covered.

National Survey of State Laws
by Richard A.Leiter, Editor (REF 349.73 NAT) (2008)

The 6th edition of this directory is divided by legal category into eight sections.  Included are business and consumer laws, criminal laws, education laws, employment laws, family laws, general civil laws, real estate laws, and tax laws.  Within each section, a chart briefly summarizes each state’s statutes on particular aspects of law.  Some of the topics covered are abortion, drunk driving, the right to die and personal income tax.

International Encyclopedia of Military History
by James C. Bradford, Editor (REF 355.009 INT) (2006)

The introduction to this book states that it is “designed to serve as a primary reference work for historians, military affairs specialists, and other scholars; for students; and for the informed general reader seeking to find quickly information on a myriad of topics in the field of military history, broadly conceived.”  The two-volume set covers all historical ages and includes over 1,600 alphabetically organized entries.

Encyclopedia of Junk Food and Fast Food
by Andrew F. Smith (REF 394.12 SMI) (2006)

Written by a food historian, this interesting encyclopedia is geared for the general reader and students who are interested in junk food and fast food.  Entries are listed alphabetically and cover a wide range of topics from Kool-Aid (created in the 1920’s in Hastings, Nebraska) to Twinkies (remember Daniel White’s Twinkie defense in 1979?).  Informative and fun!

Chases’ Calendar of Events (REF 394.26 CHA (2008) 

Billed as “The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months” this wonderful directory is not only extremely useful, it is a delight to just sit and peruse.  A month-by-month calendar lists an exhaustive register of anniversaries and events for the current year.

Encyclopedia of Holidays and Celebrations by Matthew Dennis, Editor (REF 394.26 ENC) (2006)

Each entry for this country-by-country directory includes a brief history, geography and climate, economy, culture and lifestyle, cuisine, public/legal holidays, and rites of passage. The third volume covers holidays and holy days observed by varying groups. Included in these entries are articles on All Saints' Day, Carnival, Hanukkah, and Ramadan. This source provides an interesting glimpse into the world's celebrations.

Consumer Drug Reference
(REF 615 CON) (2008)

This annual publication from Consumer Reports is a comprehensive directory of over 12,000 prescription and nonprescription medications.  Information includes warnings about the medicine, why and how it should be used, special precautions to follow, side effects and dosage facts. Unlike some of the directories geared for the professional, this source is easy to understand and simple to use.

Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy
by L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump, (REF 615.854 KRA) (2008)

The preface to this book states “The 12th edition of this classic text supports the nutrition care process as the standard for dietetics.”  The book is divided into the following parts:  nutrition basics, nutrition in the life cycle, nutrition care process, nutrition for health and fitness and medical nutrition therapy. Numerous appendices in the back of the book cover such topics as nutritional facts on vitamins and minerals, information on the glycemic index, and physical assessment of various age and gender groups.

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