Great Lives from History: The 17th Century Review

Friday, February 23, 2018 10:39:37 PM
“...If they need quick introductions to people, places, and events from the Thirty Years’ War to the Wars of the League of Augsburg, from the population of Australia by Europeans, to the establishment of the Louisiana Colony, they will find it here...Information from its predecessors is joined by 236 new essays for a total of 314 essays. Bibliographies and cross-references have been updated, and new maps expanded with numerous sidebars throughout. Quotations from primary source documents and illustrations have also been added. In addition to the Contents, the beginning of each volume has the same “Keyword List of Contents,” a “List of Maps, Tables, and Sidebars,” and 6 pages of maps of each continent. Essays average 1,600 words and have a similar format. The preliminary information offers date (or date range), name of the event, a summary paragraph, the locale, categories (type of event covered, and key figures. The essay itself has a summary of the event, its significance, an annotated list of sources, see also references, and related events. All illustrations are black and white. Appendixes include a time line, glossary, bibliography, Electronic Resources, Geographical Index, Category Index, Personages Index, and Subject Index.”
-GALE

“The fourth installment in the Great Lives from History series chronicles the lives of 351 historically important individuals from the seventeenth century. An updated and expanded edition of the Dictionary of World Biography (1998-1999), the number of entries has more than doubled in this revised edition. The geographical coverage of the entries has been expanded, although a clear majority of the work skill focuses on Europe. Primary source quotations and tables of major works have also been added to some entries and several historical maps have been incorporated as a convenience to the reader. The series as a whole has many useful features to recommend it. Careful and detailed attention has been paid to the organization and indexing of this work. Each entry is conveniently broken down into sections, the most notable of which is a section discussing the significance of the individual to history. Each entry also has an annotated list of materials for further reading. Three additional volumes are planned to complete this series... However, this volume, and the series as a whole, would be a beneficial addition to a medium- to large-sized library's collection serving older students and adults.”
-ARBA