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Library Journal Review

This is a completely revised edition of a standard Latin American encyclopedia first published in 1958. Written by Latin Americans (its progenitor was noted Mexican Alfonso Reyes), the encyclopedia has 13,000 concise entries. A spot check of entries (among them "Brooklyn" and "Emile Zola") shows them to be instructive and well written, though some of the choices may be quirky. For instance, why Woody Allen but not Isabel Allende? There are 4500 attractive color illustrations pertinent to the text. The 138 pages of maps are grouped conveniently in Volume 14 following the final entries. The index takes up all of Volume 15; it seems complete and clear. The individual volumes are uniform in size and can be deftly handled, not an unimportant detail when dealing with an encyclopedia. This reference tool belongs in every type of library--school, public, and academic.--John P. Farrance (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

First published in 1958 as Enciclopedia Illustrada Cumbre, the 31st edition of this encyclopedia has been completely revised and given a new format. Produced by a team of editors and publishers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the U.S., it is a Spanish-language general encyclopedia for students in middle school through high school. It will also be useful as a general reference source for adults who prefer an encyclopedia in Spanish. This edition has 1,500 new articles, 2,000 revised and updated articles, more than 6,500 color illustrations, and approximately 300 maps. Thirty-five percent of the entries cover the arts and humanities, thirty-five percent deal with science and technology, fourteen percent with the social sciences, thirteen percent with geography, and two percent with sports and contemporary life. Ninety percent of the contributors are academics. They are listed at the beginning of volume one, but their affiliations are not included. The articles are not signed, and they do not have bibliographies. The editors state that they have provided balanced content covering all viewpoints. They also say that all statistics have been verified and corroborated, but they do not provide any sources for them. The entries are arranged alphabetically. Half of them are brief, 500 words or less. Articles on broad concepts, countries, and complex subjects are longer. The set has no index, but there are ample cross-references. All maps are in the atlas section at the end of volume 14. This section has statistical and political/relief maps. The boundaries in the latter are impossible to find. The lack of individual maps in the articles about countries is a disadvantage because those in the atlas are inadequate. The information in the entries is up-to-date. The articles on cancer and AIDS (SIDA) have current treatment information. The entry for computer (computadora) has a cross-section showing the major parts of the machine, and the one on compact discs (discos compactos) includes information on both audio and CD-ROM products and a diagram of the optical scanner. The article on Yugoslavia discusses the splitting of the country into two separate republics. The article on communications (comunicaciones), five pages long, covers the history of various media up to the present and has cross-references to Internet, radiotelefonia, and telecomunicacion. Although the briefer articles are sometimes inadequate, the long ones are very good. The entry Pascua, which refers to both Easter and Passover in Spanish, is a confusing mixture of the Christian and Jewish holidays and theologies, but the article on the Holocaust (Holocausto) covers the major points, notes the existence of denyers, and mentions the U.S. Holocaust Memorial. Cuerpo humano (the human body) does not explain anatomy and physiology with sufficient depth and has only one illustration that does not show the organs well, but an article on consumer education (comprador y arte de comprar) provides a good grasp of basic economics, advertising, and credit. There is a two-and-half page article on children's songs (canciones infantiles) with many lyrics, which will be useful for teachers. The Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre is more current and has a more accessible reading level than Enciclopedia Hispanica (Britannica, 1996). Despite some flaws, it is an excellent choice for school and public libraries in need of a general encyclopedia in Spanish.