Reference Short Takes

Arms Control and Global Security: A Document Guide. 2 vols. Praeger Security. 2010. c.569p. ed. by Paul R. Viotti. illus. ISBN 978-0-313-35430-4. $104.95. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
A timely reference, in light of recent developments in America’s nuclear arsenal, Viotti’s (American Foreign Policy and National Security) primary resource presents the original texts that determined the use and management of arms since the first Geneva Convention in 1864. The title opens with a chronological list of included material, like League of Nations covenants, and ends with the arms trade treaties of 2008. It offers vital background for the contemporary-focused Arms Control and Cooperative Security, published by Lynne Reinner. A fundamental document resource for public policy, national security, and world history collections.

Competing Voices from World War II in Europe. Greenwood. (Fighting Words). 2010. c.320p. ed. by Harold J. Goldberg. ISBN 978-1-84645-033-4. $65. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
With this powerful collection of primary documents, Goldberg (D-Day in the Pacific) amplifies the voices best equipped to communicate the complicated viewpoints and raw emotion of World War II. These texts tell the story more vividly than any neatly linear, retrospectively composed narrative could. An introduction offers a survey of events spurring that conflict. Eight chapters follow, each associated with a major turning point, like “Victory at Stalingrad,” and containing major headlines, personal letters, trial testimony, even prisoner poetry. This amazingly valuable book, which presents objective documentation rather than subjective interpretation, is essential for all history collections.

Environmental Health Sourcebook. 3d ed. Omnigraphics. (Health Reference). 2010. c.667p. ed. by Laura Larsen. ISBN 978-0-7808-1078-5. $95. REF
In this valuable guide, Larsen (Facing the Final Mystery) breaks her multifaceted subject into seven major segments and 53 chapters, from “Health Concerns and Environmental Triggers,” like chemical sensitivity, to health-endangering “Consumer Products” such as Teflon and antibacterial soap. Chapters begin with definitions of each danger, their physiological impact, and accepted treatments or permissible exposure amounts. Following this are Q&A segments, where relevant questions are posed in bold and clearly answered with supporting statistics. A term glossary and a directory of health organizations close out the work. Highly recommended for public libraries.

Fagan, Andrew. The Atlas of Human Rights: Mapping Violations of Freedom Worldwide. Univ. of California. Aug. 2010. c.128p. illus. maps. ISBN 978-0-520-26122-8. $55; pap. ISBN 978-0-520-26123-5. $21.95. REF
Revealing assaults on fundamental liberties, this slim guide is rich with highly visual and deeply engaging data, including maps, colored charts, and location photos that deftly illustrate specific issues and problem areas. Fagan (Human Rights: Confronting Myths and Misunderstandings) divides his subject into eight thematic chapters, exploring complex international issues related to citizenship, judicial violations, censorship, and active discrimination. Maps are annotated, offering concrete statistics and detailed information on each country’s historical stance. Time lines clarify the chronological evolution of issues. A chart of alphabetically arranged nations contains quick-reference data, like gross domestic product and refugee rates, facilitating comparisons. Powerful and accessible.

Folly, Martin & Niall Palmer. Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy from World War I Through World War II. Scarecrow. 2010. c.466p. ISBN 978-0-8108-5606-6. $120. REF
Folly (Awakening Giant) and Palmer (Twenties in America) start this guide with a year-by-year chronology that begins with America’s November 1913 demand that Mexico’s leader resign and ends with the 1945 Nuremberg War Crimes trials. A 38-page introduction offers a substantial historical survey of the two wars, sensibly punctuated by subject headings referring to watershed events or significant themes. The bulk of the title is devoted to entries explaining the significance of relevant figures, organizations, orders, acts, operations, and incidents. A term-focused expansion of Robert D. Schulzinger’s chronological subject treatment, U.S. Diplomacy Since 1900.

Greenberg, Janice Leslie Hochstat. Jazz Books in the 1990s: An Annotated Bibliography. Scarecrow. (Studies in Jazz, Vol. 61). 2010. c.211p. index. ISBN 978-0-8108-6985-1. pap. $45. REF
Greenberg (librarian, Jersey City Free P.L.) brings together complete bibliographic records and content exegeses of adult nonfiction, jazz-related titles. But this is no mere alphabetized list—to reduce the time required to locate research material, the 700 entries are broken into six chapter themes, including history, instruments, criticism, and musicology. Following this are five additional content categories, for example, discographies, pictorials, and conference proceedings, as well as three indexes organizing texts by subject, author, or title. A valuable reference for music scholars and jazz aficionados.

Simmons, Adam. Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World. Greenwood. 2009. c.204p. bibliog. ISBN 978-0-313-35556-1. $85; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection REF
While evolutionary adaptations seem a broad subject to tackle in such a slender volume, science writer Simmons presents a fascinating and concise examination of diverse systems, fostering a deeper understanding of a multivalent subject. The book is broken into seven chapters, with each addressing a major concern, like locomotion, communication, and survival mechanisms. Explanations are clear and jargon free, while important field-specific terms are efficiently illuminated. The title offers many stunning black-and-white specimen photographs, as well as a three-page further reading list. Highly recommended for secondary audiences and curious lay readers.

U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security: Chronology and Index for the 20th Century. 2 vols. Praeger Security. 2010. c.802p. ed. by Robert T. Davis. index. ISBN 978-0-313-38385-4. $124.95; Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. REF
This two-volume set is broken down by 20th-century presidential administrations, opening with McKinley’s and closing with Clinton’s. Choosing this as an end point seems natural but prevents a contextual analysis of the seismic changes that followed in the Bush era. By organizing meeting minutes and other official mandates chronologically, Davis (U.S. Army and the Media) provides a highly detailed account of national security’s evolution and its inextricable connection to economics and diplomacy. An apt companion would be Routledge’s New Directions in US Foreign Policy.—Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Lib., Washington, DC