Review by Choice Review
Ness's encyclopedia provides a succinct overview of 132 cities around the globe. For each city, a national map indicates its location, and the text describes its location, population, history, government, economy, transportation, health care, education, housing, and cultural attributes. A statistical profile summarizes data about each city. City selection was based on size, geographic inclusiveness, and historic and cultural significance. There is a bias toward North American and European cities because of their influence on world urbanization. Although variances in national data gathering techniques are universally problematic for comparative purposes, Ness presents such data as are available that accurately define the city. A five-table appendix provides further comparative analysis based on population size, projected growth, and urbanization of the national population. A subject index provides heightened access to data in both volumes. Although not as comprehensive as Cities of the World (5th ed., 4v., 1999) nor as statistically thorough as George Kurian' s World Encyclopedia of Cities (v. 1-2, North America; CH, May'94), this encyclopedia stands as a viable reference guide to major world cities. M. A. Lutes University of Notre Dame
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
This new reference set is a compilation of information on 132 of the world's leading cities. According to the editor, "50% of people live in urban areas currently, and by the year 2025, about 2/3 of the world's population will be city dwellers." Cities were selected based on size, location (an effort was made to include all the major cities of each continent), and historical and cultural importance. Arrangement is alphabetical by city, from Abidjan to Zurich. Among the other cities covered are Maputo (Mozambique), Montreal, Prague, Taipei (Taiwan), and Nairobi. There are 24 U.S. cities, including Anchorage, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, and San Diego. It would be helpful to have a list of the cities grouped by country, either in the index or in an appendix. Each entry is five to six pages long and examines 10 "key areas of life in the urban areas of the contemporary world": location, population/demography, history, government and politics, economy, transportation, health care, education, housing, and culture/arts/entertainment. In addition, each entry has a very clear full-page map and a table displaying such data as annual precipitation, population, and vital statistics, most taken from various United Nations and U.S. government documents. Some of these data are fairly current, but some are quite old; the introduction states that "the data presented reflect the data available." The maps are not of the cities, as one might expect. Instead, they show where each city is located within the country. A series of icons appears at the beginning of each entry (e.g., a piano means "cultural," a soccer ball means "sports"), but the relevance of these icons is not clear, nor is it ever explained. There are no cross-references, so one would not know, without consulting the index, that Bombay appears under Mumbai. Appendixes include five comparative tables of information concerning population increases and rank. There is also a general index and bibliography. Far superior treatment of larger cities, such as London and New York, is readily available in any standard encyclopedia--World Book, for example. Gale's World Encyclopedia of Cities [RBB My 1 94] has in-depth coverage of many more U.S and Canadian cities. Encyclopedia of World Cities has more information on smaller, non-U.S. and Canadian cities, such as Bucharest, Kinshasa, and Montevideo; and having so many cities in a single source facilitates comparisons. Public and academic libraries that need this type of coverage might consider adding this set to their collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Containing entries on 132 major world cities chosen for their historical, political, and economic importance, this two-volume work includes narrative descriptions, statistical tables, maps, and a comprehensive index. Each entry is about four to five pages and usually contains a paragraph or two on topics ranging from population to healthcare. Although this reference source covers world metropolises, U.S. and Canadian cities are emphasized. The scope is somewhat different from the 1999 edition of Gale's four-volume Cities of the WorldÄwhich does not include U.S. citiesÄbut the latter work is superior in several respects. It covers 2000 cities (among them more than 500 major cities) in 198 countries and includes street maps, photographs, and a very useful bibliography at the end of each entry. Many entries in the Encyclopedia seem similar to the superficial country descriptions in almanacs; Cities, however, contains information on local customs and clothing, among other not easily accessible topics. Other problems with the Encyclopedia include erroneous information on Jerusalem and the omission of major cities such as Bras¡lia. Although the Encyclopedia is less expensive, the limitations of this work may not justify the savings.ÄDonald Altschiller, Boston Univ. Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up-This resource provides information on 132 of the world's leading cities, chosen for their size, location, and historical and cultural importance. Each alphabetically arranged entry begins with a full-page black-and-white regional map, followed by blocks of information that examine 10 key aspects of urban life: location, population and demographics, history, government and politics, economy, transportation, health care, education, housing, and culture. Each entry concludes with a chart of statistical information, complete with source citations. There are five comparative tables of population statistics and a comprehensive index. While the information is not presented in a lively manner, it is easily accessible and will undoubtedly be welcome for reports. Those seeking more detail can turn to George Kurian's World Encyclopedia of Cities (ABC-CLIO, 1993) and even the Internet, where Web pages can be found for most major cities.-Dana McDougald, Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
