"[S]ynonymous with the American image of dependable reference works"
352412
George N. Shuster, of the University of Notre Dame, says it all in his foreword to Volume 1 of this set: "The name Funk & Wagnalls has become synonymous with the American image of dependable reference works," in which statement I do not believe he was being at all hyperbolic; "Get out your Funk & Wagnalls," once meant, "Bring out your encyclopedia." I find Funk & Wagnalls (or at least this particular edition of their encyclopedia) to be consistently accurate, respectful and deep, with, for example, the article on Mormonism actually having been written by an adherent of that religion. Thus, every point of view in the encyclopedia is presented most sympathetically and fully, without the pseudo-objectivity and lack, of unknowledgeable experts. Most other encyclopedias I have read, tend to be, in my opinion, superficial and modernistic, rejecting the very method of Aristotle, which this encyclopedia explicitly embraces (in its introductory essay "On the Origins and Purposes of Thinking"). Funk & Wagnalls is exactly the sort of company I would have gladly paid a subscription to, simply to keep its kind of encyclopedic quality in print, had I been given the chance. The demise of Funk & Wagnalls was truly an encyclopedic catastrophe for the United States and the world, which means that, sorry, you cannot buy any extra yearbooks to keep this encyclopedia up to date--you'll have to go to the likes of the Encyclopedia Britannica for that (good luck finding unbiased information there). I find I hardly need to look up anything modern anyway--its all in my head or online!
330508
A pleasant, informative, sometimes amusing read for the non-specialist.  It's only 200 pages long with many sidebars and perhaps too few maps.  Chapters include The North, The South, The West, and American Ethnics.  Nobody will have to struggle through it because all the technical stuff is avoided in favor of ordinary language.  The "long i" sound in a word like "rice" is described as "ah-ee" up North and "ah" down South.  If Metcalf were using the phonological alphabet of a linguist, each speech sound would be represented by an alphabetic-like symbol that you'd have to memorize.  New Yorkers wouldn't say something like "dawg", as they do here, but rather something like "d&g."  I don't have the proper symbols on my keyboard but you get the point.  This is easy to read and understand whereas, say, "The Dictionary of American Regional English," a comprehensive survey for specialists, is not.

At the same time, the somewhat casual approach of "How We Talk" sometimes lends it a slapdash quality.  There are some overgeneralizations and a few errors.  On page 20, "Southerners will 'chunk' rocks or wood, while Northerners will 'throw' them."  Well, almost.  The DARE, an original and thorough study of regional speech, locates "chunk" around Arkansas and Oklahoma.  But that's minor.

On the plus side, many books like this in the past have depended on a study done in 1948, which divided American speech into three major dialects, North, South, and Midlands, as if the maps were fixed and rigid.  I forget the title and author of that seminal study and Metcalf doesn't provide a bibliography, and I'm too lazy to look it up myself.  Metcalf at least recognizes that language is shifting, in a way that the jumbo DARE doesn't.  Briefly, except for parts of the South, regionalisms are disappearing.  He cites Labov's classic sociolinguistic study of New York speech in three department stores of varying -- is "esteem" the right word?  The New York accent is fading pronto.  So is New England's.  When I lived in Hartford, I noticed that the middle-aged shopkeeper from whom I bought my New York Times on Sundays spoke with a marked New England accent.  His teen-aged daughter didn't.  What happens to the accent when the shopkeeper's generation dies out and the offspring start running the business?

Anyway, it's a broad overview of American speech.  It's aimed at an audience that knows little of the subject but is curious about it.  For the REALLY curious, it may provide a springboard for further investigation.  Some may want to make the leap to "The Dictionary of American Regional English."  It's big; it's expensive; but it's hard to put down.  You learn what a "whifflepoof" is and where the word might be found, if in fact it still exists.  I've spent hours perusing it.  I once caught a fish while sitting on the edge of a cliff in Samoa.  The fish was known as "lae".  Now I know what kind of fish it was.  DARE has almost everything.
1873022
Maurice Tauber's "Technical Services in Libraries" is one of those great classics of applied general librarianship that bears reprinting for generations of librarians even in the automated future. This is one of the primary textbooks, as published by Columbia University Press for then-current use (i.e., rather than as an historical reprint), used in one of its editions in my several courses in technical services (acquisitions, cataloguing, and classification), when I attended library school at Kent State University at the beginning of the 1970s. By that time the book had become a venerable standard work long used in teaching and practising librarianship. I read it cover-to-cover at least four times over the years of not only my library service studies, but throughout my career afterwards, and I consulted it on frequent occasions.

Now, of course, the book may seem a mere relic of pre-automated times in library practice, but it is more than a mere curiosity, unlike textbooks and other monographs of the kind of lesser stature from past decades. However, for libraries and documentation centres, especially small public, school, or private libraries, which still are wholly or partially "in manual mode" rather than fully automated, much of what Tauber explains and suggests (taking into consideration changes especially in cataloguing codes, as well in current-day sources to consult in selection and acquisition of library materials, since Tauber's time) still would have direct relevance in library operations and functions.

Tauber's book exhibited a marvellous way of presenting cataloguing, classification, acquisitions, and related functions and services in a manual (pre-automation) library with a vision that emphasised quality as well as practicality and good economy. In that regard, the work is of continuing value in settings where one or the other of those goals is in danger of, or has been, compromised. Tauber concentrated not too exclusively on theory (as modern library science textbooks do all too excessively) but also on how to carry out library functions, manually, of course, in welcome detail. His vision was so well focussed on quality in the light of practicalities and on service that this book remains a jewel of librarianship literature for any age of readers interested in librarianship. May the various reprints of Tauber's work always continue to keep it in print!
4451790
Contrary to what its title might lead you to expect, Martin Barker's book is not a study of the various ideologies organizing comics storytelling and consumption (of the kind, for instance, in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Comics-and-Ideology-Popular-Culture-and-Everyday-Life/dp/0820452491/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Comics and Ideology (Popular Culture and Everyday Life)</a>). It is rather a critique of ideology as a critical concept, with British comic books serving as test cases.

As an older work of comics studies (it was published in 1989), Barker's book is a bit harder to peg than much recent scholarly work on comics. Few of the terms and predilections organizing present-day research show up in his work and when they do, they're always treated provisionally--as the means to solve specific interpretive problems rather than pre-formed methods valuable in and of themselves. As a result, the book reads easily and delivers smart analyses laden with a refreshing dose of intellectual skepticism.

Partly because the comics examined by Barker are British, this book will probably not appeal to the average American comics fan. For those readers interested in comics studies, however, this is smart and groundbreaking text that deserves attention.
1643100
Saw the book at a library and decided that it was worth owning as a reference.  It more than met expectations.
4272033
It has been decades ago that I first encountered Benjamin Franklin's autobiography - a good-sized chunk of it, at least. It was part of my massive American lit textbook. The excerpt in the text dealt mainly with Franklin's unusual approach to self improvement. That reading became a benchmark for me through years of pondering how one does, after all, encourage virtue and character. Are these a grace (as in St. Paul's theology), or are they the result of deliberate effort and commitment? Well, that suffices to introduce this abridged and edited version of Franklin's classic. It is a good thing when a scholar with credentials makes aging literature accessible to a contemporary audience. And that, it strikes me, is the major value of Dan Runyon's book. I read it over the course of several evenings and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reading American history through the aging genius of Ben Franklin is a bit like having a front-row seat at some of the major events of our early history. His perspective on General Braddock's catastrophic  defeat by the French and Indians is as sensible as it is authentic. His sympathetic portrayal of the great British preacher George Whitfield is a reminder that before mass media, there were some figures who commanded huge audiences. A delightfully entertaining and informative read.
390646
I run a website that focuses on the history of motion pictures, and have a library of over 500 volumes devoted to that subject. In my library I have quite a few volumes devoted to film's silent-era including Brownlow's "The Parade's Gone By"; Abel's "Encyclopedia of Early Film"; Musser's "The Emergence of Cinema" (and all of the other volumes in the University of California Press' "History of the American Cinema" series); Spehr's "The Man Who Made Movies"; and Ramsaye's "A Million and One Nights" to name but a few. I say this merely to indicate that I have a fairly good idea of what's out there on the subject.

"One Thousand Nights at the Movies" was given to me as a gift, and I was thunderstruck at the number and quality of the many (often rare) illustrations included in the book. The text gives a concise overview of almost every subject of interest to the non-specialist, and after reading the book and studying the illustrations I believe any reader would have a very clear idea of what was going on during the motion picture industry's first 20 years, and what it was like to be part of that industry.

This book was not meant to be an academic treatise, although I believe even a jaded academic would find something of interest in it. This is a beautifully produced introduction to the early years of motion picture history and, I say this with no hesitation, the finest introduction for the layperson I have yet seen. Fun and easy to read, and spiced up on virtually every page with delicious eye-candy (is that a mixed metaphor?), I would recommend this enormous volume to anyone with an interest in the subject. (Is there going to be a second similar volume covering the years 1915-1930?)

With all of that said, however, I would like to agree with the other reviewers about the quality of the binding. When I opened the cover of my first copy I noticed a two-inch long tear where the cover was joined to the book. I sent it back as defective only to receive a replacement copy with two similar (although smaller) tears in the same place. I decided to keep the replacement even with the tears.

To Q. David Bowers and Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, "Well done!" I believe your book will make a perfect companion to Peter Kobel's "Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture."
4150255
This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy  format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.
3384411
I began reading this book with a certain amount of skepticism at the scope of the challenge Jack Morgan chose for his book. But I was pleasantly surprised with the intellectually stimulating, wide ranging coverage given such a broad subject in such a limited space. "New World Irish" is an examination of the effect of Irish Culture on American literary Culture and the reciprocal effect of the American Culture on the Irish-American literary culture. Rather than attempt to close his book with a chapter of broad conclusions, Morgan chose to focus on fourteen examples which he then examines in detail from both Irish-American and American viewpoints. With only a couple of exceptions Morgan's examples are a literary rather than a historical dissection of his chosen Irish and American cultural clashes. Using significant examples of both contemporary and modern literary opinions of a given work or concept, Morgan adds his voice to clarify the impact of what we have just read. The book is erudite but I, with a limited exposure to the literary references chosen, found Morgan's  imaginative thought process easy to follow. Anyone interested in the Irish in America, being faced with an endless string of immigrant/famine books which multiply like rabbits each year, will find Morgan's approach delightfully and refreshingly different.
&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/New-World-Irish-Notes-on-One-Hundred-Years-of-Lives-and-Letters-in-American-Culture-New-Directions-in-Irish-and-Irish-American-Literature/dp/0230116965/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">New World Irish: Notes on One Hundred Years of Lives and Letters in American Culture (New Directions in Irish and Irish American Literature)</a>
2916098
The avid collector of American art for 40 years Davies relates stories on 236 artists whose works he has collected. Going with each artist are fine color reproductions of paintings of his or hers Davies has acquired. Including illustrations in introductory material and some details of paintings, there are in all 420 color illustrations.

  Davies' stories are multifaceted vignettes from a couple of hundred to a few hundred words. The collecting experiences he relates as parts of the vignettes include variously his original exposure to an artist, what attracted the author to him or her, typical subject matter, and characteristics of style. Vignettes additionally mention Davies' contact with the particular artist or relationship with dealers or representatives. The author came upon paintings in antique shops as well as art galleries. In some cases he had to wait for years before he was able to acquire an artist's painting at an auction. Occasionally, the author will write briefly on techniques of a particular work. His comments on what he saw about an artist's work which prompted him to collect the artist offer plain, reliable advise to would-be or beginning collectors.

  Personal, wide-ranging, and brief in its commentaries, Davies' art book is nonetheless a commendable educational resources for newer art collectors. There's top names as Davies was able to acquire these--Albert Bierstadt, Edward Moran, N. C. Wyeth, Childe Hassam, and Fredric Remington, for a few. But the particular value for new collectors and even some veteran ones is the inclusion of many secondary artists and also regional artists (e. g., Western, New England) and others such as Maxfield Parrish whose subjects and mediums (e. g., prints, illustrations) limited their appeal and market value. All, however, are of merit and collectible. Though one art collector's acquisitions and tales and advice of collecting, the book is not idiosyncratic or narrow. Davies interests and appreciations are wide; his eye, keen; his judgment, reliable. The "Collecting Stories" offers exposure to numerous worthy artists while at the same time relates the basics and some of the more sophisticated knowledge about collecting art. Davies imparts not only the rewards and enjoyments of this pursuit, but also the kinds of experiences, activities, contacts it involves.
791413
The inaugural book in the Harvard Classic's series -- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin-- represents quintessential early Americanism and the ideals that establish the identity of The United States. Dr. Franklin regales the reader with an exhaustive recollection of his life; his colonial era societal contributions, intimate thoughts on natural philosophy, and ultimately sculpting, in my opinion, the mastery of life.

The text reveals Franklin as a man of noticeable morality and conviction of character. He is an early lover of books, independently pursues the scholarship denied him by family limits. As the last child of a large family he learns the value of frugality, a skill that would lend useful in adulthood. A natural entrepreneur, which by heeding life lessons, he is able to maneuver his way into the upper networks of colonial society. Distinguished as honest and trustworthy, he enjoys a series of business successes, leading to privileges that enable further leisure in study and public service. His desire to improve himself based on ethics of philosophy, his avoidance of vices-- absent religious dogma-- stands as a role model for anyone of any culture or religion that aspire human perfection.

Exceptionally, given the enormity of his life, he is a person of relatively humble beginnings. He simply refused to be dissuaded by rank or birth station. One might suggest, fairly, that Franklin's life is the cornerstone to the modern American dream.

However, his disparaging opinion of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and the working poor are transparent in this book's eurocentrism; which are contradictory to the philosophy of enlightenment. This autobiography further confirms, the common and erroneous viewpoint that blacks and the indigenous populations are separate entities from the American story, this premise fails in opportunity to reflect the complexities and interconnections of the tragedies and triumphs that create the shelf-hood, that is American identity.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is appropriate for all students and vital to anyone interested in history of the Americas. All and all I enjoyed this reading and am personally grateful for the legacy Benjamin Franklin gave our country. Dr. Benjamin Franklin lived eighty-four years, yet, his impact has proved eternal.

For its literally eloquence and historic value I'd rate this book 4 stars. One star deduction, however, for the scarce racism and anti-native sentiment. The accomplished experiment that is the United States is unparalleled, alas, it is not without flaw.
4033859
Even when the power goes out and the battery cells die, this book is readable by the light of a candle or the moon. It is a good, handy version of reference for looking up and understanding words and contexts of those words. I am finding that the references are done in a scholarly way. It came recommended by a fellowship of scholarly folk. For this, I am thankful for a good little dictionary of manageable size. I own huge copies of dictionaries which seem to serve the same purpose; while this copy is to the point for shorter definitions, it covers it nicely.
557840
~American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia~ is an insightful encyclopedic compendium offering a survey of the American conservative movement and its diverse elements. The publisher Intercollegiate Studies Institute makes it clear that the focus is upon a distinctively American conservative movement, particularly in its postwar mold following the Depression and World War II. This insightful reference book covers a litany of iconic personalities, people, events, organizations, and concepts of major importance to the American conservative movement. One thing ISI does surprisingly well is achieve a balance while allowing for a profile of an older traditional conservative thought. In the twentieth century, the political fortunes of conservatism are too often measured merely by the successes of the Republican Party. This encyclopedic reference, however, points readers to a diverse, broad conservative movement within the United States. To many outsiders, the conservative movement suffers from a crisis of identity as avowed neoconservatives, paleoconservatives, traditionalists, libertarians, and those who simply call themselves "conservatives," cling to the conservative movement. However, as this encyclopedia makes clear, the diversity of the movement is its strength, and the ensuing debates between its varied elements, has contributed to the advancement of the nation. The American conservative movement will perhaps allow for a brighter future for ordered liberty, a renewed culture and a more vibrant civil society. Herein, this volume, the student finds an erudite window into that American conservative movement. Understanding the movement, its history, and its impact, is integral to sustaining its impact on society for the better in the twenty-first century.

This powerful tome features articles from one of my former professors Dr. S.A. Samson as well.
1715372
As a Rome-based freelance writer who frequently publishes articles about the Vatican and its history, I knew I needed a good reference book to help me recognize saints in history, art, and tradition and understand why they are important. I did some research to decide between this volume, the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, and the Delany's Pocket Dictionary of Saints and I decided to buy this one.

Then some time passed, and I decided I needed still more information and so I bought the Oxford version about a year later. And six months ago the Delaney edition found its own place in my book shelf. And do you know what? After familiarizing myself with the new additions to my religious library on their arrival, I have hardly opened either of the Penguin edition's rivals.

To be clear, none of these books contains all the information in the other two, but I believe this edition -- in terms of authoratative (even if sometimes brief) biographical information, good organization, data on symbolism related to saints, a helpful glossery of terms, and an impressive bobliography -- is the best to have if you'll only buy one book.

As another reviewer here pointed out, the book's great weakness is its lack of significant information about patron saints. And that's important, because many lay people first decide to learn more about the lives of saints because of the patron saint of some area of interest (the Delaney book is best in that regard).

But I believe that flaw is more than compensated for by the book's strengths. At the risk of envoking a tired cliche, the book is written in a fact-packed and yet accessible style that makes it a good option for the novice and a valuable resource for more experienced saint watchers.
4241503
Simon & Schuster's dictionary is extraordinarily serviceable. The work behind each entry is most complete, austere and accurate. My mother tongue is Spanish, fyi. I am an interpreter and translator. I have found much nonsense in many online reference resources. This dictionary is legitimate and thorough.
4171926
Neat treatment of the subject that mercifully ISN'T loaded with campy, "hip" contempt or irony.  Hemingway genuinely likes this stuff and so do I.  American readers will be entertained because much of this is British or European mass-market art that wasn't as popular here, but should have been!  I'm amazed at the selection British big-eyes paintings that are such odd relations to their Keaney American cousins.  The book has a great design with several of the lithos duplicated "post-it" style over their pages in the book so you can take them out and frame them yourself while keeping the book intact.  Unfortunately they're not necessarily the ones I would have picked, like the Tretchikoffs, probably for copyright reasons.  Come on, manufacturers, take a tip from Hemingway's book and let's bring back the days of saucer-eyed kidz, bright oil-painting colors and .... as accents for the living room!
4289592
Primary sources are the gold standard for accuracy of detail in research.  This reprinting in modern format is a valuable addition to my library.