Some Recently Added Reference Titles

Encyclopedia of disability / general editor, Gary Albrecht. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, c2006. Reference HV1568 .E528 2006

Editor Albrecht and over 500 authors from around the world contributed more than 800 entries. Almost 200 of the entries are biographical, treating individuals from Homer and Socrates to Helen Keller and Franklin Roosevelt. Others treat history, types of disability, medical and health concerns, legal and social matters, attitudes and conditions affecting daily life and more. A series of entries under the heading Experience of Disability discusses conditions in 13 countries, including Brazil, Ireland, and Japan. Entry length generally ranges from around 200 words to 10 pages. Most entries conclude with citations for further readings, and many also offer lists of Web sites. The text is supported by a number of black-and-white illustrations, many of which show depictions of disability in works of art and film. All of the illustrations are contained in volume 5, which is also home to documents representing the "first effort at compiling primary source materials on disability." The documents are organized by historical period and arranged chronologically, from ancient Sumerian proverbs to Andrea Dworkin's 2005 essay "Through the Pain Barrier." Each document has a brief introduction that supplies context. Following the documents are a chronology and a section on finding and evaluating Web sites. To aid the reader, each volume includes an alphabetical list of entries and a "Reader's Guide," which groups entries under broad subject categories. Documents are also listed under pertinent categories here, providing useful links between documents and related text. Volume 4 contains a 120-page bibliography and the set index.

Encyclopedia of international organized crime / Carlo DeVito. New York, Facts on File, c2005. Reference HV6441 .D48 2005

In the U.S., organized crime has largely been associated with the Mafia. What this encyclopedia attempts to do is provide a definitive reference source that reveals the depth and breadth of all organized criminal activity around the world. In 450 entries, it covers all of the major criminal groups, detailing their origins and operations and showing their interconnectedness. The encyclopedia includes entries on crime bosses as well as gangs, nationalities, drug cartels, activities, and crime-fighting laws and groups. Examples include Bonanno crime family, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Human trafficking, Jamaican Posse, Motorcycle gangs, Tongs, and Triads. One also reads about the POBOB, or Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington, a group of bikers who attended a rally held in Hollister, California, the weekend of July 4, 1946, which legend holds to be the genesis of outlaw gangs; POBOB later became known as the Hell's Angels. This is just one of the interesting bits of information that make the encyclopedia so readable.

Encyclopedia of life sciences / Gina Fullerlove. New York, Nature Publishing, c2002. Reference QH302.5 .E54 2002

This thorough and comprehensive encyclopedia covers all areas of biology. Molecular topics are treated in great detail, and physiology, evolution, ecology, and similar classical topics are also covered thoroughly. The 3,000 articles, written in clear, straightforward, academic prose by scholarly authorities, are masterful and thorough. Topical articles are typically 4,000 to 9,000 words long, with five to ten major subdivisions; biographical articles are briefer. Articles from the Nature Yearbook of Science and Technology describe each country's major biological institutions. Cross-references point to related articles, and each article usually cites five to ten general items (typically, recent standard books or review articles) labeled "Further Reading," and often ten to 50 references, mostly journal articles, some as recent as 2000. The articles themselves are divided into those considered elementary, secondary (more specialized and advanced), and supplementary (peripheral special topics), reflecting more the specificity than the difficulty of each article. Primary articles are pitched at the Scientific American level, while the secondary range up to that of the "Nature Reviews" series. Necessary mathematics and chemistry are used, but none of the content should be beyond the comprehension of an advanced undergraduate specializing in biology.