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School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Appearing five years after the ninth edition, the most comprehensive science encyclopedia available continues its noble (if quixotic) mission to provide current information about every aspect of science and technology, on a level that is "understandable and useful to any person of modest technical training." The overall format remains unchanged. From "A15 phases" to "Zygophyllales," the 7000-plus articles are arranged into a single alphabet, followed by a topical index of article titles, 15 subject study guides, and a comprehensive index. Replete with cross-references and specific facts, each article opens with a basic definition, closes with a bibliography, and in between treats its topic in close detail. Copious figures, equations, diagrams, and black-and-white photos appear throughout, supplemented by the occasional color plate. A new feature of this edition is an associated free Web site for updates and multimedia content. As of September 2007, it contains a small group of articles, some reproduced from the print work and others unique to the Web edition, along with some photo sets, though there is no provision for an updated index. Many print articles have been subjected to minor revision since the previous edition, but a mention of Pluto's reclassification is one of the few updates newer than 2005, and even that happened more than a year ago. Still, for readers in search of hard information on criminalistics, cladistics, geophagia, or any of thousands of other specialized topics, there is no more reliable or accessible resource.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
In the age of "Googling" and pervasive first-use of Wikipedia (CH, Mar'06, 43-3736), researchers need to have foundational reference works that reflect strict editorial policies. This encyclopedia (1st edition, 1960) has served librarians and students at all levels for nearly 50 years with lucid explanations of the components of modern science and technology. The more than 7,000 articles are authored or coauthored by approximately 5,300 individuals drawn chiefly from the US academic community, with representation from corporations and independent research institutions. On the short end are articles without illustration that run 600 words. Most concepts, however, run two to three times that length (and many significantly longer), and are supported by simple dichromatic diagrams, figures, equations, and charts. A bibliography of core books, conference papers, and peer-reviewed articles is appended to virtually all of these, and cross-references are inserted as needed. It would have been helpful if the editors had insisted on a consistent style of referencing; presumably the individual authors have employed the style most common to their subject disciplines.As expected, topics that are stable have changed little from the ninth edition (CH, Sep'02, 40-0029). Areas that are expanding greatly (such as the medically related fields), or areas with broadening applications (such as microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS), are given detailed treatment. The content is aimed at users with a serious need to build an understanding of the often-complex nature of a concept, organism, or process, and who are involved in an exercise of self-education. For those who need briefer explanations, one- and two-volume titles are available that might be preferable. A companion Web site will provide updates to this encyclopedia. As with earlier editions, the final volume is the analytical index. For libraries that do not provide online access through AccessScience (CH, Jan'08, 45-2358), this set is an essential investment. Although an older edition of some reference titles may be acceptable, in this instance the updates are significant enough to make the purchase advisable. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. J. M. Robson Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Booklist Review
In many libraries, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology is the first source patrons consult when beginning background research on a scientific topic. Written by an outstanding international team of 500 subject experts, including 25 Nobel Prize winners, this encyclopedia is aimed at a nonspecialist audience. Contributors are listed at the end of each article section or article. The 7,100 alphabetically arranged articles range in length from a single paragraph to multiple pages. Broad survey articles provide readers with basic concepts, and specialized articles give depth and breadth. More than 60,000 cross-references alert users to related topics. Each article follows a standard format, beginning with a definition and overview of the topic and proceeding to further explication. Bibliographies are provided for most entries. More than 12,000 illustrations, including photographs, graphs, and charts, supplement the text. Most illustrations are black and white or two color; a few full-color plates are inserted into each volume. A well-constructed index volume provides subject access to the contents. More than 1,700 new and updated articles are included in the 10th edition, mostly in rapidly advancing areas such as cell and molecular biology, information technology, nanotechnology, the environment, and cosmology. It would not be reasonable to expect a complete revision of all articles; however, the same criticism of updating that was noted in reviews of the ninth (2002) edition also applies to the tenth. For example, the article on Human-machine systems is essentially unchanged from the eighth (1997) edition to the tenth; a table of global emissions of air pollutants is based on 1978 emissions figures; several photographs of agricultural machinery used in the tenth edition were also used in the fourth (1977) edition; a color plate of flight simulation using modern computer-generated imagery also appears in the eighth edition; the most recent sources listed in the bibliography for the entry Internet were published in 2000. New to this edition is a free companion Web site http://MHEST.com that offers updates of a few critical articles. The strengths of this encyclopedia are authoritative content written at a level accessible to the student or layperson and the exceptionally broad range of topics from every field of modern science and technology. Like many print encyclopedias, however, there is sometimes a problem with currency; therefore, it should be used in conjunction with other print or electronic reference sources. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology is recommended for most high-school, academic, and public libraries.--Cannon, Nancy Copyright 2007 Booklist
