The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature: 2 Volume Set
This Guide is in a class all by itself. The third edition concentrates "on works published since 1961," when the second edition was published. Like its predecessors, it aims to list "the finest and most useful books and articles available in every field of historical scholarship," but this is a brand-new edition, not just an update. Entire subject areas no longer have their own separate sections (e.g., "History of Religion"), while others are new ("Science, Technology, Medicine"). Sections are generally much more detailed: U.S. history, for instance, moved from one 34-page section to six sections totaling 265 pages. The subject index provides excellent access to the material, and the annotations, averaging 30 words in length, are lucid. Though as in previous editions the Guide is often too general for the specialist, it is still invaluable for the nonspecialist. This superb new edition belongs in every library whose users want to identify the best historical scholarship.Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mich.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.