The Fifties in America (Decades) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1587652021 ISBN 13: 9781587652028

Publisher: Salem Pr Inc, 2005

Synopsis

The Fifties in America surveys the events and people of North America during the 1950's. This 3-volume publication, Salem Press's second reference set on a 20th century decade, is modeled on The Sixties in America (1999). The Fifties in America is 20 per cent larger than that set and goes beyond the latter's scope by covering Canada.

About this title

From Booklist

*Starred Review* The Fifties in America follows the publisher's successful The Sixties in America (1999) and is based on this reference source. The Fifties, however, has expanded coverage, with 640 entries that represent a 20 percent increase over the number in The Sixties. It also expands the geographic coverage by covering Canada as well as the U.S.

For an audience of general readers and students, the set seeks to survey the events and people in these two countries from 1950 through 1959. Among the 640 entries are essays that cover the topic with 300 words and much broader topics that require 3,000 to 5,000 words. The longer essays are on topics such as Automobiles and auto manufacturing, Business and economy in Canada, Civil rights movement, Education in Canada, Foreign policy in the U.S., and Homosexuality and gay rights. Some of the people covered include Alvin Ailey, Ernie Banks, Omar Bradley, Ralph Bunche, and Christine Jorgensen, to name a very few. The alphabetically arranged entries break down into 175 overviews; 185 biographies; 78 articles on events; 152 articles on culture (film, literature, magazines, consumer products, inventions, etc.); and 74 articles on government, law, and treaties. All entries are introduced by headers that contain brief definitions or identifying phrases and, when relevant, dates. All also include a concluding paragraph, with the subheading "Impact," to help the reader assess the topic's significance. Annotated suggestions for further readings are appended to each entry, as are thorough cross-references.

The third volume contains 15 appendixes, among them a year-by-year list of most-watched U.S. television shows, winners of major sports events, a time line, an annotated bibliography arranged by topic, an annotated list of Web sites, and a glossary that includes new words and slang from the 1950s. ?A list of entries grouped by broad category and three separate indexes--for persons, subjects, and photos--provide multiple access points, as does the set table of contents, which is repeated in all three volumes.

Libraries that purchased the set on the sixties should plan on adding The Fifties. Other libraries need to assess their reference collections to determine if they have sufficient coverage of this decade. The expanded geographic coverage to Canada of The Fifties may prove important enough to make this a priority purchase for high-school, public, and undergraduate libraries. Jerry Carbone
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Salem Pr Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1587652021
• ISBN 13: 9781587652028
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1244
• Editor: Super John C.