Creative and Performing Artists for Teens (4 volume set) [Hardcover]

Thomas McMahon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

Biographical entries of approximately 300 creative and performing artists from the fields of literature, music, the visual arts, and film and television.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-A wealth of information on a wide range of 20th-century talents. The accessible essays cover the childhood, education, personal life, and career history of each artist; Sean "Puffy" Combs, Leonardo DiCaprio, M. C. Escher, Jacqueline Woodson, and Wynonna are among those included. Boxed sidebars with selected listings labeled "Choice Cuts" for musicians/music groups; "Popular Works" for actors and visual artists; and "Don't Miss-" for authors feature the person's most important works. Average-quality, black-and-white photographs accompany the entries. Volume one includes a listing of artists by field and a complete index concludes each volume. While the latest "hot" performers such as Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, and Enrique Iglesias are not here, young people will find information on plenty of other popular individuals.
Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

What's the real story behind Ice-T, Penny Marshall, Nine Inch Nails, Adam Sandler, and R. L. Stine? These are just a few of the more than 350 personalities treated in Gale's newest biographical compendium.

Around a quarter of the entries are devoted to actors, authors, and singers and musicians. Around 30 directors and screenwriters are included, and the rest of the biographies cover painters, designers and sculptors, photographers, comedians, and animators and cartoonists. The work doesn't try to be inclusive or definitive. Rather, it covers from the "classic" (e.g., Georgia O'Keefe and Frank Lloyd Wright) to the faddish "now" (e.g., Brandy and Sarah Michelle Gellar). An advisory board of librarians, educators, and students provided input for the final selection, and teen appeal is certainly evident. Blacks seem well represented, but Latinos get short shrift.

Because young people seem to be more interested in musicians and actors, entries in those categories are longer and more current. Entries for painters and photographers tend to represent the old mainstays (Ansel Adams, Edward Hopper, Dorothea Lange) except for Keith Haring and William Wegman. Selection of authors, too, is somewhat lopsided (though teen-based): lots of science fiction, and "realistic YA" writers, although high-school "must reads" like William Golding and Harper Lee are also here. Current teen popularity dictates that Garth Brooks and Wynona are listed, although Dolly Parton and Amy Grant are missing; Elvis and Jimi Hendrix are included, but Jim Morrison and Frank Sinatra are not.

Each entry is three to four pages long, and usually includes a black-and-white photograph or two. Elements in the opening personal data vary somewhat. Long essays cover each person's achievements, life history, and career. Unpleasant subjects such as Tim Allen's imprisonment and Eric Clapton's drug abuse are treated. Major "works" are listed in sidebars for easy access. Short bibliographies lead the user to other sources, mostly periodicals but including the Internet. The beginning of each volume contains a full alphabetical list of names followed by names categorized by field; likewise, the concluding index of names and works is complete in each volume.

Even with its somewhat uneven coverage, public and school librarians will want to purchase this set. Although many of the people it covers can also be found in standard sources such as Current Biography, it speaks to teens' interests and provides information that is sometimes hard to find.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1400 pages
• Publisher: Gale Group (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787639737
• ISBN-13: 978-0787639730
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 4.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,311,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)