Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Encyclopedias    3. Ethnic Studies - Hispanic American Studies    4. Hispanic American women    5. Reference    6. Sociology    7. Women's Studies - History    8. American studies    9. Latin America    10. Social & cultural anthropology    11. USA   

Reviews (2)

Very good
I am a train fanatic and I know a good reference book when I see one,and this book is one of the best I've ever seen.I have refered to this book at least fifty times at the railroad (whose name is undisclosed) that I work as a volunteer at.Simply an amazingly informitive book that I would recomend to any train fan of almost any age.

Large book but has some short comings
The book is a fair to good encyclopedia of trains.It has a large number of foreign engines.Most of the photos are taken from the front and one side and not in profile.The Little Joe appears to be a A-unit but is in fact an A-unit on both ends.The pictures are not very large.Profile drawings would be a good addition.Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Engineering - General    3. Locomotives    4. Railroads    5. Railroads - General    6. Railroads - History    7. Railroads - Pictorial    8. Transportation    9. Sale Books   

Reviews (6)

Great Book
This is a great book, considering how huge it is. Being written in 1998, this book has all the current knowledge. There's more info on the actual era and the technical asspects of dinosaurs than the actual dinosaurs. Despite the price, this book is worth it.

Questions about dinosaurs that go deeper than the surface?
If so, then this is the book for you! The Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs is a wonderful, up-to-date book that covers most, if not all, topics concerned with dinosaurs.Well put-together, beautifully illustrated, and written by today's top paleontologists, the Encyclopedia is well worth the price.Although it doesn't get too technical, this book is not for the uninformed.A must have for any serious dino-enthusiast - believe me, it will answer your questions, and lead you to ask more!5 stars may not be enough for this one!(Plus it's massive enough to knock some sense into the not-so-dino-loving loved one or associate in your life!)

This definitely belongs on the shelf of any dino-lover.
When I first received this book for Christmas, I was shocked!The book was the size and weight of a telephone book!It's packed with skeletal drawings, cladograms, paintings... You name it, it's in the text. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dinosaurs    2. Encyclopedias    3. General    4. Paleontology    5. Reference    6. Science    7. Science Fiction    8. Vertebrate Paleontology    9. Nature / General    10. Palaeozoology    11. Reference works   

Reviews (2)

When it is good it is very good
This is a good example of the strengths of specialized encyclopedias. Unfortunately, it also provides some examples of the weaknesses.
Economic historyEncyclopaedia
Economics is a social science and economic history is a story of human interaction in the economic sphere.It tells the story of markets,of organizations,of institutions,of small and large communities,from tiny medieval village to the huge communal economies of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic History    5. Economics - General    6. Encyclopedias    7. General    8. Business & Economics / Economic History    9. Economics | History    10. Reference works   

Editorial Review

Many books claim to be a "definitive guide"; this is one title that happily lives up to those claims--and then some. Read more

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Reviews (17)

Not a General Reference Book
I was a little disappointed with this book because I thought it would have more information on specific plants.It gives very little info on the specific plants and focuses on the design aspects.As a novice gardener, this book has not been very helpful to me.Don't buy it if you want a general reference guide.

Wonderful for growing everything under the sun!
This book covers almost everything including how to grow Blackberries and grapes which caught my attention and how to take care of cuttings, which I had never done before and had all sorts of doubts about.Thanks to this wonderful jewel, my back yard is now filled with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants that I have grown from cuttings off of other plants and flowers in only a few short weeks.
American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening
This book has kept my husband real busy since he started gardening. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Home Gardening    6. Horticulture (General)    7. Pictorial works    8. Reference    9. Gardening / Reference    10. Bargain   

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Islamic Studies    3. Reference    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Islam    7. Reference works    8. Sacred texts   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Reference    4. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    5. Islam    6. Reference works    7. Sacred texts   

Reviews (9)

Good Work !!
Mr Davis does it again.I have always been a fan of his work and this book is a good intro to mythology of a lot of countries.His description as always is easy to follow and once in a while he would throw in a couple of funny remarks that stay with you.On this book you can see that Mr Davis has done a lot of research and it has paid off.The only problem that i had with this book is that once in a while he reaches conclusions that i dont agree with.Sometimes i believe that he stretching these conclusions a little too far.For example he says that the tale of Pandora's Box points to women as the ones that bring suffering to the world much as the Book of Genesis in the Biblie blames Eve for all the suffering in the world.I think that conclusion is just plain wrong as there is no indication of the Biblie blaming women of anything except desobedience.He also says that Adan had a second wife.Again,this conclusion is just too far fetched since no such person ever existed.Besides these conclusions the book is really good.

Accessible Overview of Mythology
Davis' "Don't Know Much About" series has always been marked by the author's conversational and breezy style as opposed to more dry, pedantic treatment of the subjects.That tone is continued here in his view of world mythology. Instead of aiming at being a comprehensive overview of the subject, he chooses to highlight the "you should know" topics - much like a Cliff Notes for a whole course. Often times the word Mythology only brings up images of Greek and Roman gods in people's minds. What Davis does well is to bring us back into the other myths of the ancient world - from Egypt and Mesopotamia, showing how these myths intermingled with other cultures and influenced, among other things, possibly several stories in the Bible. Davis continues around the world highlighting the stories of the Celts, the Norse, Indians, Chinese and Japanese. He comes up a bit short in his discussion of Sub-Saharan Africa and Native American mythology mainly because it is such a diverse topic involving not one dominant culture, but rather hundreds of individual cultures, each with their own views of the world. So while I would applaud him for including recognition of these areas, Davis set himself up with a task far beyond his current project that may leave the reader unsatisfied in these areas.Overall a good book to get a quick overview and introduction to names, stories and history of various cultures and how stories that are still familiar today came into being.

An insightful and concise presented study of the world of historical mythology
This review refers to the audiobook edition
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Subjects:  1. Folklore & Mythology    2. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    3. Mythology    4. Reference    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    2. Bible - Reference - Dictionaries & Encyclopedias    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Dictionaries - General    5. Old Testament    6. Reference    7. Religion    8. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    9. Reference works    10. Theology   

Reviews (10)

Fabulous Illustrations!
This is a wonderful text, incredibly useful.
The sequel is great, too.
This is a really good intro to the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Clear, simple, and biblically solid. Great Study Guide
How to Get Into the Bible is a wonderfully laid out book that really brings the messages of the Bible home. Each book of the Bible is reviewed. Timelines and maps of the surrounding areas, found in the first page or so of each review, help the reader keep straight complicated chronological and geographical data. Also at the end of each review is the encore section. This tells the reader where they can find similar material in other books of the Bible. Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - General    3. Bible - General    4. Bible - Study - General    5. Bible - Topical Studies    6. Introductions    7. Religion    8. Religion - Biblical Studies    9. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    10. Encyclopedias    11. Manners & Customs    12. Religion / Bible / Reference   

Reviews (2)

TURNED "ROCKET SCIENCE" to Reading Ease
Homer's The Odyessey is a drudgery to read not to mention understand. This book took the pain and bordom of that and shortned it to a 1 hour (45 if your a fast reader) book that keeps all the details (for your reading pleasure) and explains the importance of each section in relations to High School which actually helps a ton. (pulled my grade on this from the usual B to A thanks to this book).

Cliffnotes
This is a great way to help you better understand the book.While it does not take the place of the book it is a really good learning tool, ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Book Notes    2. Cliff's/ Monarch / Barron's Book Notes    3. Epic poetry, Greek    4. Examinations    5. General    6. Homer    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature: Classics    9. Odysseus (Greek mythology) in    10. Odysseus (Greek mythology) in literature    11. Odyssey    12. Reference    13. Study guides    14. Ancient (Classical) Greek    15. Education    16. Literary Criticism & Collections / Ancient & Classical    17. Poetry & poets: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (13)

highy recommended
This book is the real encyclopedia with thorough contemplation ofa very experienced author. You will not find numerous pictures or the beginning stuff several times repeated in this work. But you will find two-column dense text of pure-gold information that every good and skillful weightlifter or bodybuilder should know.
NOT for beginners, very good for more advanced lifters
The book is huge and really explains every tiny aspect of O lifting. If you are a beginner it can actually be a bad thing since you're flooded with an enormous amount of information, but when you have a solid foundation and you aren't just lifting to improve your performance but participating in the sport of weightlifting this book is for you. It is about time to have a Second Edition.
It is about time for Mr. Drechsler to refine his encyclopedia in a newer edition. He must find ways of reducing the lengthy pages of text, without illustration or appropriate paragraph breaks, into less boring and modern style. His wealth of knowledge is greatly undermined by his extensive literal description of techniques and approaches, with skimpy illustrations. Read more

Subjects:  1. Bodybuilding & Weight Training    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Rules    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Weight lifting    7. Weightlifting    8. Weight lifting--Handbooks, manuals, etc.    9. Weight lifting--Rules   

Reviews (11)

The Word Blooms Purple
As an author and ministry speaker, I now reach for two main resources--the Bible and this dictionary. I've found, to my delight, that the Word blooms purple on its pages. And, this translates to striking insights in my writing and speaking.
Embarrassing First Impression
I became intersted in this book through reading another book by one of the contributors, D. Brent Sandy--Plowshares and Pruning Hooks. The book certainly has a wealth of information from an impressive array of scholars, and I have already gained insight from its entries. But its first impression left me embarrassed for the publisher and author of the Intoduction. On page xxi, the author states that "Gideon's mother" received an "annunciation of birth."It was, of course, Samson's mother (Judges 13).Readers expect that a scholarly work of this sort would at least be accurate in basic biblical facts.

Excellent Source Book
In my Biblical and psychology studies I have found this book to be the best of its kind anywhere for the purpose of understanding dream imagery according to biblical understanding. This resource book will help anybody better understand the parables of Jesus, cultural contexts, and even the symbols in your own dreams.It is a must for everyone! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Reference - Dictionaries & Encyclopedias    3. Bible - Reference - General    4. Bible - Study - General    5. Bible Study Guide    6. Dictionaries    7. Language, style    8. Religion    9. Religion - Biblical Studies    10. Symbolism in the Bible   

Reviews (1)

Kowalsky Book Surpasses Godden's Standard Reference
For years, serious collectors of pottery and porcelain relied on the works of Geoffrey Godden to assist them in their search for manufacturer's marks. Other authors produced different books, but Godden always remained the standard. Those days are over as Arnold A. and Dorothy E. Kowalsky have now produced what will undoubtedly become the definitive ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MARKS. Emphasizing the products of American, English and European earthenware, ironstone and stoneware from 1780-1980, the Kowalsky's present - as their book jacket states - "Makers, Marks, and Patterns in Blue and White, Historic Blue, Flow Blue, Mulberry, Romantic Transferware, Tea Leaf and White Ironstone."Containing 688 pages and hundreds of manufacturer's marks, this masterpiece highlights - and cross references to Geoffrey Godden - American Potteries and Marks, English Potters and Patterns, and European Potters and Patterns. Also included are notes from selected authorities spotlighting transfer printing on blue and white ceramics, historical Staffordshire, Flow Blue, Mulberry Ironstone, White Ironstone and Copper Lustre Decorative Motifs on White Ironstone China. The authors have diligently provided a guide for readers to know how to use their book. Some books are written for information; some for pleasure. This wonderful addition to the world of antiques and collectibles provides both information and pleasure. You really can't get any better than this!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Antiques/Collectibles    5. Crafts / Hobbies    6. Encyclopedias    7. Pottery & Ceramics    8. Pottery, American    9. Pottery, English    10. Reference   

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Encyclopedias    3. Gender Studies    4. General    5. Information technology    6. Reference    7. Sex role in the work environment    8. Women & Business    9. Women in computer science    10. Human-computer interaction   

Reviews (2)

Excellent overall with many minor glitches
He has a thoroughly enjoyable writing style (especially the puns) with superb information.I use the book very frequently when purchasing.These errors are minor but the sheer quantity of them seems inexcusable, especially in an encyclopedia and in an edition that has been "fully revised and updated".
Extremely useful for anyone who buys sparkling wine regularly
In 1986 Tom Stevenson released his "Champagne" and established himself as a premier expert in bubbly wines. In this volume, he expands his range beyond the French region and considers other fizzy grape juice, both in France, and worldwide. This is a welcome release by an author who is thoughtful and makes positive contributions to wine scholarship, criticism, and appreciation.
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Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine   

Reviews (2)

Out to Pasteur
I'm not much of a scientist. In fact, my career as a doctor ended abruptly in the first week of college when I discovered that a required chemistry course also required my attendance three days a week at 8:00 AM.So I approached this book with trepidation on several levels. Would it be pitched too heavily in science-speak for me to understand? Was it really more of a textbook than consumer's guide? Was it a soulless sucker punch for the reductionist school of winemaking so hideously embodied in companies like Enologix that use modern "science" to manufacture high-scoring Parker wines? Truth be told, I would probably have never gone near it but for a favorable blurb in a recent issue of Decanter magazine.
FINALLY: High-Tech Discussions on Wine
I am in the wine trade and a MW student.This book compiles some very high-tech arguments on various topics in an organized, compelling, and clearly-written style.It was a joy to see all of these topics in one book, rather than searching 100s of journals and university studies on the web! I was able to use my new found knowledge immediately in discussions with colleagues--sounding like a true expert.
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Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Viticulture    5. Wine And Wine-Making    6. Wine and wine making    7. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    8. Encyclopaedias & Reference Works    9. Geography   

Editorial Review

Legendary scholar-activist W.E.B. Du Bois labored to complete an "Encyclopedia Africana" before his death in 1963. Just over 35 years later, two Harvard educators, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Ghanaian-born Kwame Anthony Appiah, have brought Du Bois' intellectual dream to life in

Reviews (25)

No comprehensive Index again!
As a university professor in African American Studies, I looked forward to the first edition and bought it. But I was disappointed by the woefully lacking index which is also the case with the 2nd edition.
Great Coffee Table Book...
This encyclopedia has plenty of useful information and gives the reader easy access to black history that is not easily researched (especially considering this Eurocentric world we live in). Great to have on your coffee table, exposed, so that guests can have a quick and random look at some black facts and history. This encyclopedia has entries that I would suggest be used to wet your appetite for knowledge and spark your desire to learn more, but not to be used as the sole source of info on any given topic.

Bernadette Pruitt, Ph.D.
Thank you for your promptness.The recipient truly loved the gift.Thank you once again.Bernadette ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. African Americans    3. African diaspora    4. Blacks    5. Encyclopedias    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Reference    10. Africa    11. African history    12. Encyclopaedias & Reference Works    13. History / Reference    14. History, American | African American    15. Social history   

Reviews (4)

Mathematical & Biostatistical Epidemiological Methods
This is a very good textbook and reference for those seeking to model and understand epidemiology techniques.Calculus and probability theory are introduced at a basic level and the book progresses onto advanced concepts of statistical modeling.It has an A to Z format which makes it useful for looking up topics easily.The book starts out with fundamental techniques but explores complicated topics in greater detail toward the end of the single volume.I really like it as an MPH Student interested in epidemiology and plan on using it alot more in my career.Five Hundred dollars is alot, but probably worth it.This book is possibly not an absolute necessity, but I am glad I purchased it when I did, in the first year of the MPH Program.

compilation of authoritative articles
For a biostatistician at a pharmaceutical company who needs to combine clinical trial data with information in the literature from case-control and other non-randomized data, understanding of the latest epidemiologic methods is essential. In this reference source Mitch Gail and Jacques Benichou provide all the important abbreviations and acronyms and 201 articles listed alphabetical by title along with author and subject indices at the end of the volume. Each article has its own list of references to the relevant literature. The list of contributors is over 140 including many very famous biostatisticians from around the world. Young scientist
This is a very valuable book, helping to be familiar with epidemiological methods. This will alllow you to use right epidemiological methods in preparing scientistic work. Thank for authors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biostatistics    2. Encyclopedias    3. Epidemiology    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Public Health    7. Reference    8. Epidemiology & medical statistics    9. Medical / Biostatistics    10. Reference works   

Reviews (28)

A Must- Have
This book gives short descriptions of everything you could ever want to know about.It is truly the companion to any culturally-literal person.I used it in my government class and it helped a great deal, and I also used it in a lit class to decipher the Bible.It helps in any subject, definitely something every college student, and people of all ages, should own.

know something about everything
I was given this book as a birthday present about 8 years ago. It is still on my shelf, and it still gets used every once an awhile. It is a wonderful book for people who are very curious, people who would like a little refresher on general knowledge, and for people who love jeopoardy and triva pursuit. The book is divided into different categories which cover a broad base of knowledge, including history, religion, mythology, social science, and literature. I would like to see a new edition with more current event information, however, I still believe that this is a good buy, especially for students, teachers, or trivia buffs, because it is an excellent (and quick) reference guide to just about everything.

Becoming outdated...so to speak
When/where is the 3rd Edition??????????I agree with those who have also asked this question.We're almost 10 years after the fact!!!I bought my initial "Dictionary" times 4 H.S. graduates, way back in 1994.I couldn't believe, today, in the bookstore, that they are still selling a 1993 edition, in the year 2002!Comes on, authors, bring us up to date. Do I really want to purchase 1993's, for this year's graduates????Is there anything comparable to this book, readers out there, that you can tell me about, that I can purchase in this dictionary's stead?Thank you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. Culture    3. Dictionaries    4. Dictionaries - General    5. Educational Anthropology    6. English language    7. Reference    8. United States    9. United States - General    10. General encyclopaedias