Companion to American Thought (Blackwell Reference) [Hardcover]

Richard Wightman Fox (Author), James T. Kloppenberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blackwell Reference | Publication Date: January 16, 1996

This outstanding book assesses the whole sweep of American thought from the colonial era to the present day. Some two hundred and fifty scholars - from history, literature, religion, philosophy, political theory, and the social sciences - have written original and substantial essays on pivotal topics and figures in the history of American intellectual endeavor and achievement. Includes concise biographical entries, suggested further reading, extensive cross-references and a complete index.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Edited by two leading intellectual history scholars, this work makes an original contribution to studies in American religion, history, literature, philosophy, politics, social work, and related areas from the Colonial period through modern times. Over 300 scholars contribute 363 subject essays and 316 short entries on leading figures in American thought, all linked through cross references and a detailed subject index. Topics including abortion, democracy, education, republicanism, tradition, women's rights, and youth feature individuals from Benjamin Franklin to Susan Sontag. All entries include brief bibliographies that illustrate the use of recent scholarship. A useful introductory essay by the editors place the dictionary in line with scholars attempting to cultivate a body of common knowledge while providing a forum for debating new ideas. The work also presents some of the last essays by scholar and social critic Christopher Lasch, who died in 1994. Scholars, students, and lay readers will find this work valuable as a reference, introduction for research, or browsing tool. One of the most important reference works issued this year; recommended for all libraries.?Stephen L. Hupp, Capital Univ. Lib., Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This unique volume is intended "to help students, scholars, and general readers deepen their knowledge of the major concepts and thinkers in the diverse traditions of American thought, and to become acquainted with key debates in the contemporary intellectual life of the United States." The more than 300 contributors include such well-known scholars as Jean Elshtain and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The work has more than 650 alphabetically arranged entries ranging in length from fewer than 100 words (for many of the biographies) to more than 2,500 (Catholicism, Responsibility). Brief entries are unsigned. The volume concludes with a welcome 44-page index; needed in part because, despite the alphabetic arrangement and the liberal use of cross-references, some entries (such as Ancient Indian History) appear quite far apart from related entries (Indian-White Relations and Indians, for example).

Most of the entries in the companion feature topics that would be expected: Academic Freedom, Civil Rights, Equality, Feminism, to name a few. A few are somewhat unexpected but interesting nevertheless: Baseball, Etiquette, Fatherhood, Motherhood. Biographies account for about 70 percent of the entries, and though the lengthier ones are as erudite as the best topical essays, many are under 100 words and one must question why they were included, since they are often too brief to be of any value short of verification of the subject's primary works. Nevertheless, the editors are to be credited with having bibliographies at the end of every entry, no matter how brief.

Perhaps the greatest appeal of this volume is that it is seldom boring. The editors note in their introduction that they "encouraged our contributors to avoid the dry style of most encyclopedia offerings and to offer provocative interpretations as well as useful information." Indeed, Jon Butler opens his entry on the Great Awakening thus: "History happens. And sometimes `history' happens because historians create it." He proceeds to essentially treat his subject as a nonissue in American history. Rochelle Gurstein, in the entry Obscenity, remarks that since both the group 2 Live Crew and Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs were cleared of obscenity charges, it "suggests that virtually anything can now appear in public and that the legal concept of obscenity is effectively dead in America." Such opinions make interesting reading but may not appeal to all who seek balanced viewpoints.

Still, this is an engaging and stimulating work that is well worth the modest price. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 832 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557862680
• ISBN-13: 978-1557862686
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.1 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,835,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Companion to American Thought, November 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Companion to American Thought (Paperback)

This book has a wealth of information on American idealogy. I used this book originally for a research project on Transcendentalism that focused on Thoreau, and found that the book was well-indexed and clearly focused. It contained a wealth of information, but wasn't wordy. I later bought the book just to read, and it has benefitted my studies immensely.