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Library Journal Review
In four volumes, this reference work attempts to explain the full scope of the chemical sciences to an audience of nonspecialists. This goal is admirably accomplished in 700 articles written at a level appropriate for the high school or undergraduate student, many supplemented with illustrations. The signed articles range from one column to over ten pages, and nearly all include a bibliography of relevant books and journal articles (often citations to undergraduate texts or the Journal of Chemical Education). Useful features in each volume include the periodic table, a list of abbreviations and symbols, and a list of journal abbreviations. A comprehensive, well-designed index in the final volume is complemented by a subject outline of contents in the first volume. This work cannot substitute for the Van Nostrand Reinhold Encyclopedia of Chemistry (1984. 4th ed.), which has a larger number of short articles and a broader scope. (Though it is currently out of print, the Van Nostrand remains a reliable source; the nature of the shorter articles is such that it has not dated.) The work under review is more similar in style to the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (LJ 9/1/97. 8th ed.) or the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Chemistry, derived from the seventh edition of that work, though none of these works includes biographical entries, as the Macmillan does. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.Wade Lee, Univ. of Toledo Libs., Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
Looking for a well-rounded reference work in chemistry? In typical Macmillan style, this set provides clear and basic explanations on a broad array of topics in general chemistry. The 730 articles cover basic terms and concepts within the major areas of the nature of matter, principles and laws of chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, analytic chemistry, aqueous chemistry, industrial applications, and teaching. This encyclopedia also includes 100 biographical entries on chemists who made seminal contributions. Articles contain cross- and see references and end with up-to-date bibliographies. There are more than 1,500 illustrations of chemical structures, equations, and principles. Common abbreviations and symbols, a list of journal abbreviations, and a periodic table appear at the beginning of each volume, and a complete index in the fourth. Article contributors and their affiliations are listed. Recommended for public and academic libraries. N. Chipman-Shlaes Governors State University
Booklist Review
When information specialists are faced with selecting a new reference source that costs several hundreds of dollars, they want to be sure that the source contains information that is up to date, readable, and as comprehensive as the topic dictates. The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry is a new reference work for chemists and chemical libraries. It contains some 700 entries, each with bibliographies that include journal article citations as well as monographic citations. There are more than 1,500 illustrations of chemical structures, equations, and principles. A list of common abbreviations and symbols, plus a list of journal abbreviations, is provided at the beginning of each volume, as well as a modern version of the periodic table of elements. A comprehensive index is included in volume 4. Instructors will find the list of entries arranged in a conceptual order to be useful for teaching purposes. There has not been another new general chemistry encyclopedia since the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Chemistry, published in 1993. The McGraw-Hill encyclopedia contains all of the chemistry articles from the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology brought together in one volume. Comparing the Macmillan encyclopedia to the McGraw-Hill one is in order. Articles in the one-volume McGraw-Hill encyclopedia pertain to chemistry and all of its allied fields. The articles are, for the most part, understandable to high-school-level readers as well as the educated public. The multivolume Macmillan encyclopedia contains articles that are strictly in the field of chemistry. The articles are more technical and intended for the researcher or someone who has more than a passing knowledge of chemistry. In order to analyze the scope of coverage of specific entries, the entry for aluminum was reviewed in both encyclopedias. In the Macmillan encyclopedia, the entry is one half page and covers only the chemical aspects of the element. In the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia the entry is more than seven pages in length and covers not only the chemical aspects of the element but also its natural occurrence, history, production, melting, and fabrication. Obviously, if one wanted to know more than just the chemical aspects of aluminum, the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia would be consulted. In comparing other entries, it was found that some are equally covered in both encyclopedias, such as the entry for amino acids. In all cases, the same pertinent information is contained in both encyclopedias. Macmillan has more up-to-date bibliographies and many more illustrations of chemical structures, while McGraw-Hill includes more photographs and general charts and diagrams. Although the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia identifies personalities in the index, there are no specific entries for biographical information. Macmillan has 100 biographical entries, each up to a page in length, for individuals "who have made seminal contributions" to the field. The type font is much larger and easier to read in Macmillan, and this, along with a more detailed index, helps account for the greater number of volumes. This is a very important new addition to chemical reference sources. It is comprehensive, well organized, and up to date. At $100 a volume, it is well worth the expense for all chemistry, large academic, large public, and medical libraries.
