Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Fully revised and expanded since the sixth edition in 1978, this dictionary defines about 4800 selected terms and phrases dealing with international politics and public law, although the emphasis is primarily American. Entries vary in depth--many have substantial background information, others are only a few words. The 108 appendixes include historic documents, lists of government officials, charts, graphs, and so forth. While the author, who holds a Ph.D. in political science and a law degree, presents interesting definitions with amusing asides and anecdotes, his work has a number of shortcomings. For instance, his biases are often interjected into definitions. Numerous obscure terms are included, while coverage of more standard political terms is uneven. There is no index, and cross references are often inadequate. As the only recent general dictionary of politics that is international in scope, this work is recommended, with reservations, for comprehensive political science collections. Other libraries can find good scholarly coverage of U.S. politics with Jay M. Shafritz's HarperCollins Dictionary of American Government and Politics ( LJ 6/1/92). A solid general dictionary of international politics has yet to be published.-- Mary Jane Brustman, SUNY at Albany Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
CHOICE Review
Although this work is called the 7th edition, the title page verso lists copyright dates of 1973, 1978, and 1992. The dictionary section (581 pages) contains just under 4,000 entries that vary in length from a brief phrase to 1,600 words ("Watergate Affair"). The terms cover a wide range of topics, including history, government, international relations, law, and sociology, and there are many useful cross-references. Definitions include recent events (e.g., a reference dated April 1992 to "Grass-roots Perot"). Some definitions are questionable (e.g., open marriage is found under "decadence," and "Chicanos," usually restricted to Mexican Americans, here refers to all Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking persons). Of the 107 appendixes (p. 585-760), consisting basically of reprinted source documents, more than half have to do with the US: after Aristotle's classification of government, the Ten Commandments, and the Magna Carta, appendixes 5-51 treat US national government, 52-66 US state governments,and 67-72 US local governments. Especially useful appendixes include maps of "Drugs and the Andean Nations" and "Partitions of Poland." Maps in appendixes 92 (Panama Canal Zone) and 107-B (the US) are too small to be useful. Recommended with reservations for general readers. K. Y. Stabler; New Mexico State University
Booklist Review
This is the seventh edition of a work last published in 1978. Many of the shortcomings noted in a review of that edition in the 1979 American Reference Books Annual have not been significantly overcome in this 1992 version. For example, in that review definitions were often termed "casual" and occasionally "careless." A casual tone can still be discerned. This large volume is a cornucopia of alphabetically listed entries for events, slogans, legislative and executive practices, doctrines, and the like in the political sphere; there are no biographical entries. Coverage is international. Very recent developments are included (e.g., the Ross Perot grassroots upsurge and the Los Angeles riots in 1992). Cross-references are extensively and usefully employed. Many definitions are informal and often idiosyncratic. Bigger bang for the dollar sticks out as lacking the alliteration that most readers would expect. Forms of entry headings such as We are not animals and We shall continue are not useful, since it is unlikely anyone would think to look up something under those words. Some concepts appear unexpectedly, for example, science (which merits one full paragraph whereas political science gets only one sentence). A list of terms defined on a page picked at random will convey the tenor of the work: majority president, majority rule, Make love not war, Make the world safe for democracy, Make war on poverty--not people, mala fide, maladministration, malapportionment, Malayan Emergency, male chauvinist pig, malfeasance, malinchismo, Malta Conference, Malthusian Law, malum in se, and malum prohibitum. Seven of these sixteen terms are not defined but are cross-referenced to other entries. The best part of the dictionary may be the 107 appendixes that cover almost 200 pages. These range from major American and international documents to organization charts and lists of various officials, maps, and tables of governmental information. If a library is now well stocked with general political dictionaries, it can forgo purchase of this one. The HarperCollins Dictionary of American Government and Politics [RBB My 1 92] has superior coverage for U.S. terms. Graham Evans' Dictionary of World Politics [RBB Mr 15 91] is another preferable source. Jack Plano's series of frequently updated specialized dictionaries are also more useful for the reference rooms of public and academic libraries. (Reviewed Nov. 1, 1992)
