Encyclopedia of North Carolina
Powell, professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spent 15 years compiling this first single-volume encyclopedia of the Tarheel State. The encyclopedia is intended to serve "those who love and live in North Carolina," and it is clearly a product of great affection as well as scholarship. It completes a trilogy of reference works on North Carolina, following Powell'sNorth Carolina Gazetteer(1968) andDictionary of North Carolina Biography(1979-96).The encyclopedia consists of more than 2,000 signed, alphabetically arranged entries written by 600 contributors. There are brief entries (Cardinal,Cheerwine); substantive articles (Biltmore House, Pirates,Pottery); and in-depth surveys (American Revolution, Lumbee Indians, Mining). The expected historical, political, and economic topics (Civil rights movement, Wine and winemaking) are included, but also here are articles about food (Barbecue, Okra, Ramps,Scuppernong grape); popular dance (Buck dancing,Clogging, Step dancing); and words with North Carolina etymology (Hooker,Mooning) that make the encyclopedia fascinating to browse. Four hundred illustrations and 22 maps enhance the articles. Many articles conclude with references that would have been otherwise difficult to identify. The detailed index pulls together scattered information on broad topics such as music and railroads.There are indications that articles were not updated after their initial submission. The article onIce hockeymentions the Carolina Hurricanes' loss in the 2002 Stanley Cup finals but not the team's 2006 victory. The article onKrispy Kreme Doughnut Corporationmentions its reaching "icon status" in 1997 but not its difficulties of the last few years.Southern Indian Studiesis cited as a publication of the North Carolina Archaeological Society, but that publication becameNorth Carolina Archaeologyin 1997.The only comparable encyclopedia is theEncyclopedia of North Carolina,edited by Frank Gille (Somerset Publishers, 1999). The State Library of North Carolina [http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/] offers the free, online EN*CYCLOPEDIA, which is a fine source for many factual out-of-state school assignments. Neither of these sources approaches the scholarship of the new work. The University of North Carolina Press plans to offerEncyclopedia of North Carolina Onlineeventually but focused first on this print edition. No date for the electronic version has been announced.Its scholarship, abundance of engaging details, and reasonable price make theEncyclopedia of North Carolinaan essential purpose for academic and large public libraries and for secondary school libraries supporting regional interests.Christine WhittingtonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved