*Starred Review* Seven years from idea to fruition and supported with major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York State Legislature, this volume from Syracuse University Press is a major reference source for the study of the Empire State. Editor Eisenstadt served as managing editor of
The Encyclopedia of New York City (Yale, 1995), which was used as a model for this new volume. Eisenstadt and coeditor Moss worked with a notable advisory board that included author William Kennedy, New York senator Charles Schumer, and Wendell Tripp, former director of publications for the NYS Historical Association and more recently the mayor of Cooperstown, N.Y. The 1,200 contributors (listed with short biographies) are a diverse group--from county and town historians to museum personnel, journalists, and college professors.
The alphabetically arranged entries include all cities, towns, and counties (more than 1,500), with an additional 3,000-plus entries for information on a wide range of topics--Bigfoot, Capital punishment, Corning Inc., Drumlins, General Electric Global Research Center, Hops, Resort hotels, Telegraph industry, and Thousand Island dressing, to name a few. Lewis Waterman, the inventor of the fountain pen; composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein; baseball player Lou Gehrig; former governor of New York Mario Cuomo; folksinger Pete Seeger; and speed skater Jack Shea are just a sampling of the subjects of biographical entries. Although 40 percent of the population of the state lives in metropolitan New York City, "upstate" is equally represented. Some topics, such as Literature, have an article on the New York City area and a separate article for "beyond New York City." Exemplifying the depth and detail of the articles are the five pages devoted to the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center--the cultural and institutional responses, reconstruction, and repercussions. Shorter but still excellent articles discuss Musical theater and the Holland Land Company. These and many other longer and shorter articles end with a bibliography.
The contributors and editors have done an excellent job in relating all the subjects to their significance to New York. There is a specificity and depth to the writing that is not often found in a subject encyclopedia. The index is an excellent finding aid for subjects that do not have an entry. See references are also helpful.
The maps and illustrations are all black and white and include a number of grainy photographs. Tables and boxes cover such diverse topics as professional baseball teams in the state from 1871; gubernatorial elections from 1824; the railroad network of 1865, 1885, and 2000; education in New York City; and Bosnians in Utica.
This ambitious project is a definite success. Free copies have been provided to all public libraries in the state, and there is a discount for state school libraries. The encyclopedia is also recommended for academic and large public libraries in contiguous states and any library that has former or prospective New Yorkers. Christine Bulson
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