The New Book of Knowledge

An illustrated encyclopedia with articles on history, literature, art and music, geography, mathematics, science, sports, and other topics. Some articles include activities, projects, or experiments.

The encyclopedia has approximately 9,243 entries. Each volume contains its own index on blue paper that is cross-referenced to the entire contents of the encyclopedia. The individual indexes are cumulated in an index of approximately 85,000 entries in volume 21. Among the 43 new contributors and reviewers to the NBK this year are Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (Lewis and Clark expedition), and Virginia Gobeli, National 4-H Program Leader (Four-H). Approximately one-third of NBK is occupied by illustrations, of which 90 percent are in full color.

NBK notes world events of 1997--the revision deadline extended into November of 1997 so that off-year election results, the 1997 Nobel Prize winners, and the results of the 1997 World Series could be included. Also included is information on the election of Tony Blair as British prime minister in May, the Pathfinder probe to Mars, and the deaths of Princess Diana and Mobuto Sese Seko. Motion pictures has a note on the death of James Stewart. The article on Hong Kong includes the information about its reversion to Chinese rule, and there is information about Madeleine Albright becoming secretary of state. Some postdeadline events that made it into the 1998 edition included the death of Sonny Bono and the outcome of Superbowl XXXII.