The Illustrated Almanac of Historical Facts: From the Dawn of the Christian Era to the New World Order - Softcover

Grade 9 Up-- Not an almanac, but a chronology of selected events in world history from A.D. 9 to 1990, with entries of 120 to 150 words each. The emphasis is on political events, but many scientific and technological breakthroughs are covered. Non-Western people and events are included, but most of the entries concern Western history. A short introductory section defines the major periods of history, according to the European point of view. The chronology comprises the bulk of the work. Inserted at approrpriate places are fuller explanations of significant eras, such as the decline of the Roman Empire and the Industrial Revolution. The chronology is followed by a dictionary of people and places and useful historical charts. A name and topic index completes the work. Occasionally gray-shaded boxes pop up, with miscellaneous information of interest such as a brief summary of world health since 1945 (no access through the index) or prohibition in the U. S. (also not indexed). It is difficult to determine the indexing rationale. Most terms, names, and events in the body of the text are not included in it. Individuals discussed in the chronological entries are not profiled in the people dictionary unless they are the primary person (e.g., Neil Armstrong yes, Buzz Aldrin no). Furthermore, there is no cross referencing between the chronology and the dictionaries; readers must go to the index from the dictionaries to find more information on a significant person or place. The book is lavishly illustrated with appropriate reproductions, maps, and photographs, most in color and well placed. The writing is graceful, accurate, and quickly gets to the heart of the matter. Non-English words are italicized, but not defined. The lack of cross referencing and the highly selective indexing severely limit the usefulness of this book for ready reference. It makes a handsome browsing volume, useful for overviews of historical periods/eras and for review of major annual events around the world.
- Tess McKellen, Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.