Great Lives from History: The 19th Century Review

“This is the perfect recommendation for that student who only uses Google in response to an assignment. The articles here are interestingly written and short, making them a good place to check for facts found online in questionable URLs. Each volume has a key to pronunciation, a list of the contents of all three volumes, and 6 pages of line maps. Essays range from 1,500 to 3,000 words. For each signed article, the name of the person is given with title and a brief introductory summary paragraph. Birth and death dates with places, any other names such as pseudonyms the person might have used as well as alternate spellings, and the areas of achievement are given. The biographies are divided into early life, life's work, and significance and each article has an annotated bibliography for further reading, "see also" references and a list of any related articles. Black and white illustrations are found in some articles and some have inset boxes and sidebars with additional information. The appendixes include a list of rulers and heads of state, a chronological list of entries, and indexes including geographical, personages, and subject index. While some of these articles are based on a previous publication edited by Frank N. Magill, much new material has been added. History teachers will appreciate this new source for students.”
-GALE

“This four-volume set in the "Great Lives from History" series continues the expansion from the Dictionary of World Biography (v. 5 and 6, The 19th Century, CH, Feb'00, 37-3987),with significant revisions. The set contains 737 essays, including 120 new entries, covering a total of 757 major figures from 1801 to 1900. The work's scope is global and covers figures from over 50 countries. This approach is a great improvement over heavily Anglo-American previous installments. More than 400 scholars contributed three- to five-page essays covering figures in more than 40 diverse categories, including agriculture, government and politics, and literature. Each essay includes the name of a specific figure, his or her historical role, areas of achievement, biographical details, and the individual's significance in history. Also included are extensive bibliographies, see also references, and suggestions for related articles. New in these volumes are detailed maps allowing readers to locate people in geographic areas. Some essays include black-and white illustrations or sidebars of primary source material. Appendixes include a list of rulers and heads of state, a chronological list of entries, and complete indexes by category, geography, personages, and subjects.

Summing Up: Recommended. All libraries serving lower-level undergraduates and general readers.”
-CHOICE