From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up. Updating a 20-volume set for a 5-year revision of Science & Technology is a difficult task. When original articles are written by experts in their fields, basic information may remain the same, but it is hoped that some “recent developments” would be added. Updated materials are evidenced in entries such as Asia, climate modeling, geologic thermometry, and global positioning systems. In some sections, such as compact disc, computer graphics, electric-power generation, gravitation, nuclear engineering, and production of human insulin, there are no changes to the text, but the bibliographies have been updated. Entries on acquired immunological tolerance, aircraft design, fingerprinting, industrial trucks, and narcotics have not been updated. There are new entries in this revision, such as climate history, clinical immunology, fullerene, global warming, geographic information systems, object-oriented programming, and nuclear medicine. Some of the entries have been completely rewritten by new authors, such as those on acquired immune deficiency syndrome, aircraft-collision avoidance system, breast disorders, geological time scale, North America, nuclear magnetic resonance, and radiation chemistry. Topics from 1994-1997 yearbooks, such as hanta viruses, are not included in this revision. According to the publishers, 23% of 7100 entries are new or totally revised, 1750 of 13,000 illustrations are entirely new, and 6 color plates are new. This encyclopedia set is recommended for high schools that do not have the 1992 edition. Note: be sure to keep the 1994-1997 yearbooks.?P. A. Dolan, Illinois State University, Normal Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition From Library Journal
Since its initial appearance in 1960, this encyclopedia has been the preeminent work in its field. Countless reference searches for student, lay reader, and professional have started with this source. Each edition has improved upon the one preceding, and this new edition, the 6th, is no exception. The numbers alone are impressive: the new edition’s 20 volumes (up from 15) contain 7700 articles, 2000 of which are either new or totally revised. Nearly 4000 of the work’s 15,000 illustrations are also new or wholly redone. There are more subtle improvements as well: for example, in the new edition much of the illustrative material has been enlarged, making it easier to work with. Changes in topic coverage in the new edition reflect changes of emphasis in science and technology over the past several years. For example, “Neutron Optics” was a relatively short, largely definitional article in 1982, mirroring the embryonic state of the field at that time; in the 6th edition it has been accorded significantly longer and more comprehensive treatment.
Conversely, the lengthy article on “Nuclear Explosion” has been cut by more than one-third, with the relatively few recent developments in this topic spun off into articles of their own. The bibliographies at the end of many articles have been thoroughly revised, a welcome improvement: the 5th edition’s shorter, often outdated bibliographies limited the encyclopedia as a teaching tool, both for students and for librarians. Even in those cases where the article itself is relatively unchanged, there has been an obvious effort not only to update the bibliographies but to expand them as well.
For example, “Nuclear Chemistry” is largely unaltered from the previous edition, but its bibliography is lengthened from 5 items to 12, only one of which was published since the 5th edition. Conversely, in “Optical Communications,” a rapidly developing field, all but one ofthe items in the bibliography have come out since the previous edition.
Until now, McGraw-Hill had to itself the field of multi-volume, general sci-tech encyclopedias. This situation has changed, in part, with the appearance of the Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology ( Academic Press, 1987. 15 vols.). I say “in part” because the newcomer is confined to the physical sciences and their application, with no attempt to cover the entire spectrum of the sciences. The two also differ radically in format: rather than the traditional encyclopedic arrangement of a great many articles of varying length, Academic offers a lesser number of state-of-the-art, review essays of fairly uniform length. Combined with excellent bibliographies, this makes it a valuable teaching tool, both for the student and for the more experienced professional venturing out of specialty. However, for meaningful, day-to-day scientific and technological reference work, McGraw-Hill’s comprehensive coverage and unparalleled indexing make it the essential first choice. Donald J. Marion, Univ. of Minnesota Inst. of Technology Libs., Minneapolis
http://rapidshare.com/files/17318095...nbox.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/17318061...nbox.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/17318062...nbox.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/17318063...nbox.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/17318055...nbox.part5.rar Password default : booktraining.net
No comments:
Post a Comment