"No event in the twenty first century has had anywhere near the impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 Encyclopedia is a complete and comprehensive two volume collection on the topic, covering each aspect of the tragedy and its aftermath, as thorough as can be seven years later. Remembering Flight 93, connections to the bombing in 1993, and explanations of conspiracy theories are all within volume one of the set. Volume two looks at Bin Laden's Jihad, and includes interviews with survivors of the attacks alongside people who conducted rescues. Many more issues covered in incredible depth in this expertly compiled, scholarly reference worthy of community and college library politics and reference collections."
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Midwest Book Review
"Atkins edits this unique source, which provides an expansive overview of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Examining many different aspects of the attacks, the topics range from key players for the US and al-Qaeda, to government policies before and after 9/11, individual governmental agency response, and engineering considerations of the Twin Towers. The set profiles the aftermath of 9/11, including rescue and recovery efforts, American reprisals, and economic impacts, as well as offering political commentaries on the events. The first volume features alphabetical entries on topics including Osama bin Laden (more than six pages), the movie Fahrenheit 9/11, and pilot training for September 11. Entry sidebars offer additional information, usually a primary source quotation on the topic. The second volume provides over 40 primary source documents concerning the event. Documents include translations of Osama bin Laden's statements, survivor and rescue personnel testimony, and official government statements and positions. Bibliographies, indexes, and a comprehensive time line strengthen this source. As post-analysis of 9/11 increases, solid reference sources are vital. Overall, this encyclopedia is very well organized and thorough; it deserves a place in any reference collection. Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers."
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Choice
"… Readers will find an alphabetical list of 158 entries of people and events leading up to, taking place on, and occurring in the time after 9/11 and synthesized to elicit key information about each entry. Together with the list of 42 primary documents, chronology, annotated bibliography, index, and guide to related topics, this volume brings context and frames the wealth of expert knowledge incorporated into the body of this work….Atkins has made some sense out of one of the most tragic days in American history. Comprehensive enough for graduates and scholars, yet clear and concise enough for undergraduates, this would make a welcome addition to any library."
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Library Journal, Starred Review
"This is a well-written and succinctly organized work that serves as an effective introduction to the issues and personalities leading up to 9/11 and the U.S. responses to these attacks. This set is recommended for academic and public libraries."
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ARBA
"In terms of page layouts, volume navigation, design and readability, this encyclopaedia is top of its class. Author Atkins. . . has not only done an excellent job of making sense of the mass data produced as a result of 9/11, but by collecting key documents together in a single volume, relating these to the encyclopaedia entries, and then combining the two sequences in a single index, he has done something that every scholar-librarian should aspire to: making knowledge accessibl whatever its origin and format."
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Reference Reviews
"Stephen J. Atkins, Associate University Librarian at Texas A&M University, and author of several other works of reference, has, in two volumes, brought together a mass of information, clearly laid out, and thoroughly annotated, on 9/11 and its most immediate aftermath. . . Atkins does a good job and has provided a very valuable work of reference."
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The Middle East Journal