Heads of States and Governments: A Worldwide Encyclopedia of over 2,300 Leaders, 1945 Through 1992 [Library Binding]

Harris M., III Lentz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

From the end of World War II to the conclusion of the Cold War and dissolution of the Soviet Union, over 2,300 emperors, kings, presidents, prime ministers, premiers, emirs, and other heads of states and governments have served their nations. All are included in this exhaustive reference work. Biographical information is provided for each leader along with an overview of his or her term in office. The data provide a thorough and exacting summary of the contributions of the men and women who have helped shape postwar history.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lentz has compiled a comprehensive study of the postwar leaders of all countries of the world. His definition of a country is based on its membership in the U.N. Thus colonies are not included, but the independent homelands carved from South Africa (Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) are.

The book is arranged alphabetically by the name of the country; then the heads of state (presidents or kings or queens) and government (prime ministers) are listed chronologically with a biography of less than a column covering their time in office. It is interesting to see the number of leaders for a particular country. The top five seem to be Switzerland with 48; Greece, 46; Jordan, 45; Cambodia, 41; and France, 38.

Perhaps to emphasize the great amount of time spent on this book, the bibliography precedes the text. Both it and the statement in the preface that each fact was verified in two sources indicate that this is a carefully researched work. The index is complete, indexing references to countries or such subjects as World War II or the Mongoose Gang, a parapolice squad of Eric Gairy, prime minister of Grenada in the 1970s.

There is no apparent similiar source, so this is a recommended purchase for academic or research libraries with users who want to know the presidents of Bolivia or another of the 200 nations included and what happened to them. Because coverage extends only through 1992, it does not list the current leaders of some countries. George Bush, for example, is the most recent head of state listed for the U.S.

Review

"an admirable job...lucid, interesting biographies...a useful addition to most libraries" -- RQ

"comprehensive...there is no apparent similar source...recommended" -- Booklist/RBB

"unique and valuable" -- Choice

"useful" -- Wilson Library Bulletin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Library Binding: 980 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899509266
• ISBN-13: 978-0899509266
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,392,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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