Customer Reviews

The World Encyclopedia

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This is a huge one-volume collection of information, some 800 (8.25 x 10.5") pages long, with 13,000 entries, maps and tables and all sorts of useful information.

The American edition comes to us from Britain (printed in Spain-very good quality) under the imprint of Oxford University Press Inc, "an authoritative but stimulating reference source" the Preface tells us, "for everyday family use - as a study aid for school and college students."

I bought a copy as a Chanukah present for a favorite niece. Attractive as it is, however, I shall not give it. Like many other compendious books from great Britain that I have seen in recent years, from cookbooks to histories and the geography of the Mediterranean basis, it seems to be suffused with a mean-spirited anti-Semitism and a strong anti-Israel bias.

My first glance was at the entry for Jerusalem (I had just heard about a score of youngsters who had been blown to shreds there by yet another suicide bomb attack).
In the Oxford World Encyclopedia, I read:
"Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, a sacred site for Christians, Jews and Muslims." (Excuse me, Christians first? It has been the Holy City of the Jews since around 1000 BC. Jews make up the vast majority of its population. The Christian population makes up barely five percent of the population. Does Christian sanctity take first preference for the Brits over anyone else's sanctity because their Queen is "Defender of the Faith" and titular head of the Church of England?).

It continues:
"Destroyed (c. 587 BC) by Nebuchadnezzar, it was rebuilt (c. 35 BC) by Herod the Great." What happened to it in those 550 years? A bombed site, a parking lot perhaps? I have news for you, Oxford University: the Jews returned from Babylonian exile in 538 BCE and rebuilt the city. (Read your Bible, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). The centerpiece, the sacred Temple, was completed in 515 BCE. King Herod the Great, a pagan with vague claims to Jewish connections was a vassal of the Roman Emperor and secured a period of peace with the building of impressive edifices in honor every religion and emperor he could think of. He did enlarge the Temple Mount to the dimensions it has today and so transformed the site that its magnificence and splendor won universal admiration. But for 500 years before Herod, Jerusalem was a thriving metropolis and religious center. And even the splendor of the new Temple earned him little appreciation from the Jews who sought sanctity, not splendor.

Look up JEWS:
"Traditionally, the descendants of Judah, fourth son of Jacob, who settled in ancient Palestine . . . . " Palestine? I thought it was the Land of Canaan when they dwelled there. The Hebrew name was Eretz Israel. There's an early reference to "Palestinian Syria" by Herodotus the historian, and that's about it. The name "Palestine" was used primarily by the Crusaders and was never used at all by Muslims and Arabs until about four decades ago. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised: In an introductory time-line History of the World, I read: "c.1100 BC, Jews establish the kingdom of Israel in Palestine."

Throughout the book, the pro-Arab, anti-Israel bias is obnoxiously blatant, and the very right of Israel to exist is subtly and repeatedly called into question. Again and again we read how in 1948 the Arab population was forced to flee from Israel-and nary a mention that this was at the behest of five Arab nations (some under British army command) who invaded Israel before the Jewish state was even created, with the intent of driving the entire Jewish population into the sea.

The Oxford World Encyclopedia reminds me of two incidents.

Some fifty years ago, Sir Ernest Bevin, HM Secretary for Foreign Affairs refused to even use the name "Israel" but referred instead to "The Jewish authorities in Tel Aviv." (After five Royal Air Force Spitfires, on spying missions for the invading Egyptians, were shot down by Israel's fledgling air force in one day, a British cartoonist showed an Israeli asking the foreign minister, "Now do you recognize me?")

(...)How accurate is the rest of the book? I don't know. I don't care. I haven't researched much further. I looked up two topics in psychology, EMOTION and MOTIVATION, in which I have both professional interest and knowledge -- about which I found nary a word. Nor did I find a word on arrhythmia, an all too common heart disorder. I did, though, find lots of information on current TV and movie idols, rock stars, and so on.

Frankly, I can't think of anyone I'd want to give the book to. But it would make an ideal doorstop for my den.

For $... you can buy Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia with almost double the number of entries (25,000), and more than a 1000 (!!) extra pages. Just think about it... So many important topics you don't find in the Oxford, but you do in Merriam-W. Many others Oxford gives a mere 2 or 3 lines, whereas in Merriam-W. you find a much more extended coverage. And that for less the money. The only reason I could see to buy the Oxford instead of Merriam-W. would be for high school students who's demands may be limited, and who just love those maps and colored illustrations. I got both, the Oxford ...for a mere couple of dollars, and Merriam-W. just for the shipping costs from Book of the Month Club. But between the two I know that I'll be using the latter a whole lot more.

Great as a quick reference. The country descriptions with maps are terrific. Haven't compared it to any other one volume knowledge stores.

This is a huge one-volume collection of information, some 800 (8.25 x 10.5") pages long, with 13,000 entries, maps and tables and all sorts of useful information.

The American edition comes to us from Britain (printed in Spain-very good quality) under the imprint of Oxford University Press Inc, "an authoritative but stimulating reference source" the Preface tells us, "for everyday family use - as a study aid for school and college students."

I bought a copy as a Chanukah present for a favorite niece. Attractive as it is, however, I shall not give it. Like many other compendious books from great Britain that I have seen in recent years, from cookbooks to histories and the geography of the Mediterranean basis, it seems to be suffused with a mean-spirited anti-Semitism and a strong anti-Israel bias.

My first glance was at the entry for Jerusalem (I had just heard about a score of youngsters who had been blown to shreds there by yet another suicide bomb attack).
In the Oxford World Encyclopedia, I read:
"Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, a sacred site for Christians, Jews and Muslims." (Excuse me, Christians first? It has been the Holy City of the Jews since around 1000 BC. Jews make up the vast majority of its population. The Christian population makes up barely five percent of the population. Does Christian sanctity take first preference for the Brits over anyone else's sanctity because their Queen is "Defender of the Faith" and titular head of the Church of England?).

It continues:
"Destroyed (c. 587 BC) by Nebuchadnezzar, it was rebuilt (c. 35 BC) by Herod the Great." What happened to it in those 550 years? A bombed site, a parking lot perhaps? I have news for you, Oxford University: the Jews returned from Babylonian exile in 538 BCE and rebuilt the city. (Read your Bible, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah). (..).

Look up JEWS:
"Traditionally, the descendants of Judah, fourth son of Jacob, who settled in ancient Palestine . . . . " Palestine? I thought it was the Land of Canaan when they dwelled there. The Hebrew name was Eretz Israel. (...) Perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised: In an introductory time-line History of the World, I read: "c.1100 BC, Jews establish the kingdom of Israel in Palestine."

Throughout the book, the pro-Arab, anti-Israel bias is obnoxiously blatant, and the very right of Israel to exist is subtly and repeatedly called into question. Again and again we read how in 1948 the Arab population was forced to flee from Israel-and nary a mention that this was at the behest of five Arab nations (some under British army command) who invaded Israel before the Jewish state was even created, with the intent of driving the entire Jewish population into the sea.

T(...)

How accurate is the rest of the book? I don't know. I don't care. I haven't researched much further. I looked up two topics in psychology, EMOTION and MOTIVATION, in which I have both professional interest and knowledge -- about which I found nary a word. Nor did I find a word on arrhythmia, an all too common heart disorder. I did, though, find lots of information on current TV and movie idols, rock stars, and so on.

Frankly, I can't think of anyone I'd want to give the book to. But it would make an ideal doorstop for my den.