Booklist Review

Containing 249 cross-referenced articles, this alphabetically organized encyclopedia designed for grades five and up covers the time period between 6,500 B.C.E and 500 C.E., the span beginning with the development of writing and agriculture and concluding with the fall of the Roman Empire. The accessibly written entries fall into several thematic areas: civilizations and peoples (Angles and Saxons, Mesopotamia); biographies of both historical and legendary figures (Ashoka, Xerxes, Zeus); places (Acropolis,erusalem); philosophy and religion (Confucianism, Roman mythology); and writings (Dead Sea Scrolls, Ramayana). There are also entries that are not culturally specific, among them Architecture, Farming, and Weights and measures. Each of the lavishly illustrated articles, which run two to eight pages, contains at least one boxed sidebar giving information either on items of particular interest included in the subject under discussion, biographical information on people who do not have separate entries, or quotations from contemporary sources. Color coding on both the tops of the pages and in the lower corners indicates to which of seven geographical areas the subject pertains. Clearly reproduced color photos, reproductions, and maps enhance the readable text. The table of contents for the full set is in the first volume, which also includes a thematic table of contents. The final volume contains a comprehensive index and glossary, a detailed time line, bibliography, lists of resources for younger readers and for further study, and several thematic indexes. This set will remind librarians of Grolier's Ancient Civilizations (2000), which also presents A-Z topics in multiple highly illustrated volumes for grades six and up. The Grolier set has perhaps half as many entries, but entries are often longer. Grolier has a comprehensive index in each volume; Marshall Cavendish has separate volume indexing in addition to the useful multiple indexes in volume 11. Both sets are accessible, attractive, informative, and recommended for school and public library collections, but libraries may not need both, especially in an era of tight budgets. -- RBB Copyright 2004 Booklist