Historical Dictionary of Indonesia (Asian Historical Dictionaries, No. 9) [Hardcover]

Robert Cribb (Author), R. B. Cribb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1994

Indonesia is Asia's third largest country in both population

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a sophisticated reference tool that will aid the user, of whatever background, to find immediate information about Indonesian history. (The Journal Of Asian Studies )

.. Complementing the alphabetically arranged dictionary entries are an eighteen-page list of abbreviations and acronyms, a twenty-four page chronology.... twelve maps prepared especially for this volume, and an extensive, subject-classified bibliography of major writings on Indonesia... (Third World Resources )

...presents its wealth of in-depth researched information in easy-to-look-up alphabetical entries....An all-around excellent easy to use general reference. (Bookwatch )

Entries are concise but thorough and well written, and the book benefits from a number of extra features...The 1,432-item bibliography, complete with its own table of contents, is an invaluable contribution to Indonesian studies. This is an essential reference work for all programs on Southeast Asia and the increasing number of Indonesian scholars. (Arba )

Put together this package constitutes a very comprehensive reference text on Indonesian history, probably the most up to date and thorough account available in the English language. As such it belongs in all types of libraries, not just those with a specialist interest in the archipelago or South East Asia....Libraries with the first edition will want this update. Non-specialist libraries that overlooked the 1992 edition should also give purchase serious consideration. (Reference Reviews )

The Historical Dictionary of Indonesia, penned by two of the field's most important interpreters of Indonesian culture and society, is a welcome addition to reference works on this huge country....the book is a veritable treasure-trove for studying Indonesian history, politics, and society as a whole. (Indonesia )

This weighty volume...will be extremely useful for anyone needing quick information about Indonesia's past and present. (Australian Journal Of International Affairs [1St Ed.] ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Robert Cribb teaches Southeast Asian history at the University of Queenland in Brisbane, Australia. He has written extensively on recent Indonesian history; his publications include "The Politics of Environmental Protection in Indonesia" (1988) and "Gangsters and Revolutionaries: The Jakarta People's Militia and the Indonesian Revolution, 1945-1949" (1991).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 663 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; 1st edition (May 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810825422
• ISBN-13: 978-0810825420
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,837,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Reference for the Indonesia Student/Scholar, February 20, 2001

By 

Sir Charles Panther "Life is hard. It's hard... (Alexandria, Virginny, USandA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Historical Dictionary of Indonesia (Asian Historical Dictionaries, No. 9) (Hardcover)

First of all, many thanks to Scarecrow Press for its Asian Historical Dictionary series. These are fantastic references.

This volume is now eclipsed by the new edition. Haven't yet seen the new edition, but I anticpate many updated and new entries since the 1990-92 work done on this still-useful resource.

This is not to say this book is perfect. For a country as abbrevation- and acronym-dependent as Indonesia is, this abbreviation/acronym list is woefully inadequate. This being said, a comprehensive abbreviation/acronym listing is not practicable as acronym dictionaries available in Indonesia are themselves hundreds of pages long. What is needed is a much more in depth compilation, edited for use primarily by foreign students and scholars.

The map section is also disappointing. For a reference costing as much as this does, the maps should be full-color glossies, better annotated, and more detailed. The best solution would be fold-out maps to best show the detail that is needed to complement such a fine reference.

The dictionary portion is excellent, very well cross-referenced, with thorough entries for each item. The numerous appendices are also superb, with leadership and governmental ministers listings for the colonial period as well as the post-revolution period.

The true gem of this dictionary is the 118-page bibliography, listing other references and bibliographies, works sorted by discipline and subject, as well as important periodicals and journals.

This has been and will continue to be an indispensable part of my Southeast Asia/Indonesia collection. Although overtaken by the new edition, this is an unparalleled reference, an essential tool for the Indonesia student and scholar.

5.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive compilation of people, places and events, September 8, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Historical Dictionary of Indonesia (Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East) (Hardcover)

Drawing upon their rather impressive expertise, Robert Cribb (Senior Fellow, Australian National University, Canberra) and Audrey Kahin (Managing Editor of Southeast Asia publications at Cornell and editor of the journal "Indonesia" from 1978 to 1995), provide students and non-specialist general readers alike with a comprehensive compilation of people, places and events in the social, political, religious, and economic history of the tropical archipelago that is Indonesia (Asia's third largest country in both population and geography). Now in an updated second edition, Historical Dictionary Of Indonesia pre-sents its wealth of in-depth researched information in easy-to-look-up alphabetical entries, from "adat" (indigenous customary laws) to "Zeven Provincien, mutiny of the" referring to the ill-fated 1933 protest aboard the Dutch naval vessel De Zeven Provincien. Supplements include several maps, lists of common acronyms for easy reference, appendices that list governors and rulers, electoral performance of the parties from 1945 to 1999, and much more. An all-around excellent, easy to use general reference.