Check the publication date. Encyclopedias contain summary articles by experts in the respective fields, followed by a short list of authoritative sources. Check the publication date Current Biography has information about personalities recently prominent. World Biography provides information about many movers in world history. Dictionary of World Religions explains many aspects of the various religions.
Timetables assists the researcher in considering the spacing of great events.
Political Handbook of the World 1995-96 is titled appropriately. World Today Series 1995 Western Europe, Russia, Eurasian States, Eastern Europe, Middle East and South Asia, East Asia and the Western Pacific, Africa, Canada, Latin America. The Europa World Yearbook 1997 has entries about all nations of the world. Statesman's Yearbook 1997-98 has short factual information about nations. To find detailed sources of information about a country or topic, and for various interpretations, use the Library's online catalog, Infotrac or a similar service, and the Internet.