Choice Review

This reference set has a wide mandate--to describe the underpinning concepts of American politics and culture. The difficulty with such a broad compass is that the topics covered could be limitless. There is no point to suggesting additional entries. Though the preface and introduction set an intellectual context, there is no definitive scope note--a basic element in any reference work. That being said, historians Green (Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas) and Stabler (Grand Valley State Univ.) have assembled nearly 225 signed essays by approximately 100 contributors. Each consists of 1,000-3,000 words and includes resources for further reading and a selected primary document related to the entry. The set concludes with a bibliography of printed and other resources that does not merely duplicate the sources cited in the entries. Every entry is interesting to read and could serve as a good foundation for an undergraduate paper on a given topic. Examples giving an idea of the breadth and character of the work include "Anti-Smoking Movement," "Capital Punishment," "Hippies," and "Suburbanization." The documents also reflect a broad array of types. For example, the National Interstate and Defense Highway Act accompanies the suburbanization article and an interesting lesser-known piece, originally published in Esquire magazine, called "Doom and Passion Along Rt. 45" connects to the entry on nonviolent resistance. On the whole, this interesting, well-executed concept is appropriate for beginning students. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates; high school and community college students. --David S. Azzolina, University of Pennsylvania