The Grolier Library of International Biographies

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This 10-volume set profiles more than 1,300 noteworthy, non-American figures of the twentieth century. It complements The Grolier Library of North American Biographies [RBB Je 1 & 15 94]. Each volume is devoted to a specific vocation or avocation, ranging from the arts to sports, including one focusing on activism. The simple sentence structure and vocabulary make this title appropriate for upper-elementary or middle-school students. However, many of the people covered will not be of much interest to this age group, for example, German literary critic Walter Benjamin and Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. The individual volume indexes or the comprehensive index found in the final volume will be helpful in locating profiled personalities, but those merely mentioned in articles are not indexed. Each volume contains a glossary whose terms are identified by boldface print in the text. Many of the terms defined are common ones, such as architect and oxygen, further indication that the set is aimed at a young audience. A bibliography arranged by biographee is at the end of each volume.

Entries are arranged alphabetically in each volume and highlight birth and death dates, nationality, and area of expertise or fame. Pronunciation is not provided for names. Many entries include a black-and-white photo or drawing of the subject and a quote from the biographee. More than 75 percent of the 1,300 subjects are European or Australian, and more than 70 percent are male. The brief entries, ranging in length from one-half page to three pages, attempt to describe the subject's historical significance.

As with any work of this type, there are several omissions which are surprising. The Shah of Iran is prominently mentioned in the article on the Ayatollah Khomeini but does not warrant an entry of his own. The same is true of Yitzhak Rabin, who figures in the Yasir Arafat article. Several Middle Eastern leaders are included, even the wife of King Hussein, but not Assad of Syria. Readers will wonder why Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi appears in two different volumes with slightly differing text.

UXL Biographies [RBB F 1 96] is a CD-ROM product for middle-schoolers with biographies of 1,500 people of all time periods and places, including Americans. Fewer than 10 percent of the people in The Grolier Library are also in UXL. There are few people in The Grolier Library whom elementary and middle-school students will need to look up for an assignment. The benefit of these volumes is that they introduce young researchers to individuals of diverse backgrounds.