From Booklist
In this third edition, readers can learn about the multitude of phobias and other anxiety disorders, ranging from agoraphobia (anxieties about open spaces) to coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) and genuphobia (the fear of knees). The easy-to-use reference provides more than 2,000 articles that define and describe phobias and sometimes offer suggestions on how afflicted individuals may seek help. In addition to its A–Z entries, the volume includes an informative introduction to the study of phobias, an appendix of resource organizations and agencies, and lists of readings organized by subject. This edition tries to improve upon some of the shortcomings of the second (published in 2000), one of which was circularity of cross-references. For example, the entry didaskaleinophobia directs the user to school phobia, which in earlier editions simply provided a different term for the condition. In this edition, there is a lengthy article explaining the details of school phobia. Another problem evident in the 2000 edition was an outdated bibliography, which, unfortunately, is still a concern. Many articles used as references were published in the 1990s or earlier. Interesting to peruse, The Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties is appropriate for consumer-health collections. --Lilian Hoffecker
