From Library Journal
Memory, once thought to be the simple retention and recall of information, is now known to be a very complex process, as are the diseases and disorders that can affect the memory process. It is not surprising, then, that a handy resource containing information on the medical, historical, social, and scientific aspects of memory function and failure is now available. Geared to general readers, students, family members of persons with memory disorders, teachers, journalists, as well as health professionals, the Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders contains more than 700 alphabetically arranged entries summarizing the current knowledge of memory research. The entries range from a few short sentences to several pages in length, some of which include short bibliographies. See references are provided when necessary, and terms within an entry that have their own articles are displayed in capital letters. The material is broad in scope, including profiles of noted researchers; clinical terms and concepts; descriptions of diseases and disorders; and information on drugs and mnemonic therapies related to memory. Two appendixes follow?one listing periodicals that publish research in memory and one identifying associations dealing with memory problems. There is also an extensive 15-page reference list. While the book contains a wealth of data in clear and easy-to-read terms, some of its information is based on dated or nonscientific sources. Classic publications are absent from the reference list and key organizations are omitted from the appendix. For a more scholarly treatment of the subject, librarians may want to acquire the Encyclopedia of Learning and Memory (Macmillan, 1992), which contains fewer (189) but more authoritative entries. Overall, recommended for public and school libraries for an introduction into the flourishing field of memory research.?Vicki Bloom, Benjamin B. Green-Field National Alzheimer's Lib. & Resource Ctr., Chicago
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
In his foreword, Noll, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University's Department of the History of Science, states that "we provide a wealth of complex information about human memory in plain language for the general reader, the journalist, the family member of a person with a memory disorder such as Alzheimer's, and even the medical or mental health professional who is lacking the expertise to understand the highly technical professional literature on human memory." The relative contributions of the coauthor are unclear.
The Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders provides more than 700 lucid entries ranging in length from a sentence or two (e.g., Narrative Chaining and Pursuit Rotor Task) to several pages (Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Enhancement). There are entries for drugs, famous researchers, physical and mental disorders, and psychological terms. See and see also references abound, and terms used within articles that are themselves main entries are indicated in all capital letters. Many of the longer articles are accompanied by short lists of references. A bibliography of several hundred entries draws somewhat more heavily from scholarly sources (e.g., Nature, Psychopharmacology Bulletin) than from popular ones (Newsweek, the Philadelphia Inquirer). Appendixes include lists of scholarly journals that publish research in memory and associations dealing with memory problems.
In its treatment of memory, Macmillan's 678-page Encyclopedia of Learning and Memory [RBB Ap 15 93] covers substantially the same ground on a more technical level; its signed articles are, unlike The Encyclopedia of Memory and Memory Disorders, often complemented by diagrams or photographs. The current work, though, is recommended for its comprehensiveness and accessibility to a general audience. Recommended for academic, public, high-school, and health/medical libraries.
