The World Book Encyclopedia

Previous editions are recommended in Best Reference Books , Guide to Reference Books , and General Reference Books for Adults . Providing a readable yet sufficiently detailed reference for students in middle and high school, as well as general readers who don't mind the student orientation, this encyclopedia is updated annually. As an example of the encyclopedia's coverage and illustrations, the entry for Iraq, current through July 2003, features color photos of Baghdad, shops, merchants, the rural landscape, and the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein; color images of the flag and coat of arms; a detailed map with towns, roads, railroads, and topography and a second map showing the larger geographical region. Iraq's geography, climate, economy, government, people, and history are described. A list of related topics, an outline of the entry, table of basic statistics, list of dates, study questions, and list of additional resources are provided. Accommodating various age groups, more technical topics are described using more technical terms. Each entry is signed by its author, many of whom are acknowledged specialists in the field (Oleg Grabar, for example, wrote the entry on Islamic art). Volume 22 contains a comprehensive index and guide to writing research papers and giving a speech. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Designed to meet the research needs of students in elementary through high school, World Book is also a good general encyclopedia for adults. It is current, accessible, easy to use, and well illustrated. The 2004 print edition has 88 new articles. They include Angiogenesis, Bullying, Factory farming, Identity theft, Macular degeneration, Money laundering, Obesity, Palestinian Authority, Statin, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Judy Dench, Bill Frist, and Annika Sorenstam are a few of the people covered in new biographical entries. Alzheimer's disease; Arafat, Yasir; Halley's Comet; Marijuana; and Tofu are among the 174 articles that have been extensively revised or rewritten. Another 2,200 articles were partially revised. More than 220 maps were added or changed, and there are 350 new illustrations. Revisions were made to 315 bibliographies. Some 155 new contributors provided fresh entries or revised existing ones.

World Book "makes revisions in every field of knowledge or activity whenever developments make it appropriate to do so." It generally scores high in providing current information, and there are few examples of topics that are left to languish while others are brought up-to-date. Changes related to the war in Iraq are evident in many entries, including Terrorism and the entries on George W. Bush and Saddam Hussein. Iraq includes references to the July 2003 deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons. A new entry, Persian Gulf War of 2003, gives the number of deaths of coalition soldiers (300) as of September 2003. New entries on SARS and the West Nile virus reflect current health concerns. The space shuttle Columbia has an index entry, and the accident that destroyed it is covered in two paragraphs added to the article on Space exploration. There is an entry on John Kerry although it has not been updated since his election to the Senate in 1985. Since World Book begins printing in October of the year prior to the year of the copyright, it sometimes misses late-in-the-year developments, such as the December capture of Saddam Hussein. In a few cases editors were able to anticipate changes and include some postdeadline events, such as the results of the California governor recall election. The index is detailed and easy to use, and includes page numbers for illustrations and maps. The research guide is useful for students who need help organizing a project.

Offering high-quality, current, accurate information in an attractive package, World Book continues to be a first choice for libraries, schools, and homes. Barbara Bibel
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