The Cold War Reference Guide: a General History and Annotated Chronology, with Selected Biographies

Examines seven periods of the cold war, detailing the important issues, highlighting specific events, and providing biographical information on key individuals

Grade 10 Up. A thorough reference book that provides a detailed overview of this period. Twelve chapters summarize 7 periods of cold war history and important issues of the times. These chapters range from America's relationship with the USSR after World War II to the implications of the atom bomb to the effects of McCarthyism. Each chapter is concise, 3-to-10 pages long, and clearly written. Chronologies highlight specific events during the time periods covered and superpower leadership during the cold war. The last section offers alphabetically arranged biographies of important individuals of the era: diplomats and policy makers such as George Kennan, controversial figures such as Alger Hiss, and superpower leaders from Ronald Reagan to Mao Zedong.?Lawrence Kapture, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

One of several good Cold War reference books published in recent years, this very general yet useful compendium covers major superpower personalities, events, and chronologies that define the more salient and provocative issues of the Cold War era. The author admits to leaning toward a "liberal" political viewpoint, but his biographical entry on atomic spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg is a well-balanced account that evokes all too effectively the anti-Communist sentiment that was rampant throughout America during the darkest days of the superpower rivalry. Overall, the book is much better for finding basic information on Western leaders and personalities than on their East-bloc counterparts. Similar in content, scope, and level to The Encyclopedia of the Cold War (LJ 11/15/94), this cannot compete with the more substantial and authoritative The Cold War 1945-1991 (LJ 9/1/93), a three-volume set edited by Benjamin Frankel. Still, not a bad buy for public and academic libraries looking to beef up their reference collections regarding the history of the Cold War.?Stephen W. Green, Auraria Lib., Denver
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.