Reference Reviews | August 2013

Bruns, Roger. Encyclopedia of Cesar Chavez: The Farm Workers’ Fight for Rights and Justice. Greenwood. (Movements of the American Mosaic). 2013. 344p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781440803802. $89; ebk. ISBN 9781440803819. REF

This well-researched and accessible encyclopedia provides an unbiased “glimpse into the men, women, events, organizations, and themes of Chavez’s life.” Detailed entries (such as “Forty Acres,” “1965 Grape Strike,” and “One Thousand Mile March”) range from a few paragraphs to a few pages in length and include print and online references for further reading. Primary-source documents featuring speeches, interviews, and excerpts from Congressional testimony by Chavez and others in the movement make the book useful and informative. The index is substantive, with main entry and general subject headings, and the annotated bibliography is a stand-out resource in itself, offering a thorough list of books and articles with a brief summary of each entry, though it would be even better if the entries were grouped by subject rather than by author last name, which is harder to work with. Also, some of the smaller general topics might make interesting main entry topics in future expanded editions (e.g., “El Teatro Campesino”). VERDICT An excellent resource for users interested in this facet of labor history and social reform. —Beth Bland, Milwaukee

Trees Reference Reviews | August 2013More, David & John White. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees. Princeton Univ. 2013. 832p. illus. index. ISBN 9780691158235. $49.95. REF

More and White (research dendrologist, UK Forestry Commission; Forest and Woodland Trees in Britain) intend this book as an update of Gerd Krussman’s German-language work on European and American plantings. Information in the new title is divided by family: pine, willow, walnut, etc., and then by type of tree within that family. Included within each type listing are multiple illustrations of each tree as both a new planting and adult size; characteristics of its bark from sapling to adult tree; fronts and backs of leaves/needles/buds for all variations; types of fruit, cones, and seeds produced; and planting considerations based on hardiness, wood type, and height. There is a selection chart for those choosing trees to address problem sites or those with other specific needs regarding height, size, etc.; a glossary of terms; an index of scientific names and one of English names for ease of discovery. Although the authors indicate that the work is “purely for pleasure” and not for botanists, it is not easily used without reading the introduction and scanning the contents to ascertain how the book is laid out. VERDICT Recommended for libraries serving gardeners and readers who are interested in identifying trees on their land. Also for those readers interested in how many of the hybrid trees in this volume were created, where the trees originated, and how they came to the British Isles and America. —Christine Sharbrough, Chelmsford P.L., MA

OrangeReviewStar Reference Reviews | August 2013Justices of the United States Supreme Court: Their Lives and Major Opinions. 4th ed. 4 vols. Facts On File. (Library of American History). 2013. 1600p. ed. by Leon Friedman & Fred L. Israel. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780816070152. $375. REF

This work, edited by Friedman (law, Hofstra Univ.; United States vs. Nixon) and Israel (American history, City Coll. of New York; Winning the White House) updates a standard that was last published by Chelsea House 16 years ago. It now includes justices through Elena Kagan, for a total of 107 listed in order of appointment. Entries, most of which are 15 to 25 pages in length, begin with a portrait and a list of biographical and appointment facts; they offer critical reviews of the subjects’ careers and place their role on the court and their major decisions in the historical and political contexts in which they worked and end with a list of major decisions or dissents and a selected bibliography. Volume 1 begins with a Supreme Court chronology, and  Volume 4 concludes with information on the chief justices, and each of the 107 office holders’ length of service, age, geographical and general background, family data, legal education, occupational background, and post-judicial activities. Charts and tables allow easy comparison of basic facts and provide an alphabetical list of the justices, a list of the 172 acts of Congress that were held unconstitutional wholly or in part by the court, and a list of Supreme Court decisions that were later overruled. The entries provide an in-depth view of all the justices that would be difficult to find in one source elsewhere. However, the indexes in each volume are for that volume only. Since the covers do not indicate the years or administrations covered, one must guess in which volume a particular justice will appear. Still, the biographies are thoughtfully and objectively written with enough detail for most nonexperts to understand the issues surrounding the decisions discussed and for experts to use as a starting point. The 16-year gap since the last edition makes it necessary for libraries to buy this new work. VERDICT Essential for all high school, public, academic, and law libraries. —Rosanne Cordell, Northern Illinois Univ., DeKalb


The following titles are reviewed in the August 15, 2013 print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

History

Krawczynski, Keith. Daily Life in the Colonial City. Greenwood. ( Daily Life Through History Series: Daily Life in the United States). 554p. illus. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313334191. $68; ebk. ISBN 9780313047046. REF

Sciences

Encyclopedia of Cultivated Plants: From Acacia to Zinnia. 3 vols. ABC-CLIO. 2013. 1236p. ed. by Christopher Cumo. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781598847741. $294. REF

Social Sciences

American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. 4 vols. Greenwood. 2013. 1573p. ed. by Murry R. Nelson. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780313397523. $415; ebk. ISBN 9780313397530. REF

A Cultural History of Gardens. 6 vols. Bloomsbury. 2013. 1600p. ed. by Michael Leslie. illus. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781847882653. $550. REF

Encyclopedia of Crisis Management. 2 vols. SAGE. 2013. 1176p. ed. by K. Bradley Penuel. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781452226125. $315. REF

Gale Business Insights Handbook of Social Media Marketing. Gale. ( Business Insights, Vol. 6). 2013. 431p. ed. by Miranda Herbert Ferrara. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781414499314. pap. $231. REF

The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Business, Labor, and Economic History. 2 vols. Oxford Univ. 2013. 1094p. ed. by Melvyn Dubofsky. index. ISBN 9780199993048. $295. REF

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