Lands and Peoples: 6 Vol Set

This six volume set was published under a single ISBN.

Volume One: Africa
Volume Two: Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Volume Three: Europe
Volume Four: Europe
Volume Five: North America
Volume Six: Central and South America, Antarctica. Index.

The most obvious changes to this 1997 edition of Lands and Peoples are the new rainbow-colored covers. Each of the six main volumes (Africa, Asia, Australia; New Zealand and Oceania; two volumes on Europe; North America; and Central and South America, Antarctica) and the seventh volume (Special Edition: The Changing Face of Europe) features its own vivid hue. These outward changes are a preview of the internal visual enhancements that accompany the revised articles and reworked maps. Volume 6, Central and South America, Antarctica, has been completely redesigned, and new four-color photographs and reformatted graphics appear throughout all seven volumes.

A new edition of this set, an established element of most public and school library social studies collections, is usually produced every two years. The 1997 offering continues the tradition of providing extensive updates and revisions. There are two brand-new articles (overview articles on South America and Central America), seven replacement articles (on El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia and introductory articles for volume 3 and volume 6), 277 new illustrations, 17 new maps, and 23 revised maps. Out of the total 345 feature articles, 235 have been revised. Of these, 21 have undergone major revisions (meaning that more than 50 percent of the article has been reworked).

The fact boxes that accompany each article are now easier to read, with clearer type set off by color borders. A "National Holiday" element has been added. Another innovation, added only to volume 6 so far, is the inclusion of sidebars, offset in color blocks. The sidebars highlight political subjects such as the Shining Path or the Mercosur (the Southern Common Market), tribes and ancient cultures (Moche, Chavin, Zumbi, Yanomamo), cultural events or social movements (Evangelicalism, the Carnival in Rio, the Criollos of Bolivia), or major geographic features (the Galapagos Islands, Lake Maracaibo, Angel Falls). They also address controversial or developing issues, such as the cocaine crisis in Colombia and efforts to save the rain forest.

Individual entries feature each country's flag, fact box, and map. The body of each article covers geography, culture, economy, history, and government. Articles are arranged according to geographic proximity, continent by continent.

Volume 6 contains a section called "Facts and Figures," with charts, timelines, and maps that summarize international data on geographic conditions, population trends, economic development, time zones, world rulers, and so on. This volume also offers a selected list of materials designed to correspond with the contents of individual articles. Some classic scholarly tomes have been included, but for the most part, the selections date from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and should be available in school or public library collections. Selections appropriate for younger readers have been marked with an asterisk. As in previous editions, a comprehensive index is located in volume 6, as well as in a paperback supplement. Not having an index in every volume can be problematic when several students need to access information at the same time.

Volume 7 examines the current situation in Europe. The first chapter provides an overview of the changing European political and cultural climate. The second part is an extensive timeline that presents annual events from 1944 to 1986, with monthly updates through December of 1995. The third part is a detailed glossary of people, countries, regions, and terms such as personality cult and ethnic cleansing. The final chapter, "Looking toward the Next Century," summarizes the challenges that Europe will face in the coming years. A separate index only for the supplement completes the volume.

One way in which this set differs from others, such as the Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations [RBB My 1 96], is the geographic arrangement of articles. Although limited to black-and-white illustrations, the Junior Wordmark may be more appropriate for collections that serve primarily younger readers because countries are arranged alphabetically, and information is presented in shorter, generally more accessible paragraphs. Junior Worldmark also features a "Famous People" section for each country, which is helpful for reports. For students in grades 5 and up, Lands and Peoples remains a basic reference. The new look and extensive revisions should encourage most collections to update.