From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up. Updating a 20-volume set for a 5-year revision of Science & Technology is a difficult task. When original articles are written by experts in their fields, basic information may remain the same, but it is hoped that some "recent developments" would be added. Updated materials are evidenced in entries such as Asia, climate modeling, geologic thermometry, and global positioning systems. In some sections, such as compact disc, computer graphics, electric-power generation, gravitation, nuclear engineering, and production of human insulin, there are no changes to the text, but the bibliographies have been updated. Entries on acquired immunological tolerance, aircraft design, fingerprinting, industrial trucks, and narcotics have not been updated. There are new entries in this revision, such as climate history, clinical immunology, fullerene, global warming, geographic information systems, object-oriented programming, and nuclear medicine. Some of the entries have been completely rewritten by new authors, such as those on acquired immune deficiency syndrome, aircraft-collision avoidance system, breast disorders, geological time scale, North America, nuclear magnetic resonance, and radiation chemistry. Topics from 1994-1997 yearbooks, such as hanta viruses, are not included in this revision. According to the publishers, 23% of 7100 entries are new or totally revised, 1750 of 13,000 illustrations are entirely new, and 6 color plates are new. This encyclopedia set is recommended for high schools that do not have the 1992 edition. Note: be sure to keep the 1994-1997 yearbooks.?P. A. Dolan, Illinois State University, Normal
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Known for its tradition of excellence, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology (MEST) sets the standard for science encyclopedias. First published in 1960, MEST serves as an excellent resource for those who need an authoritative overview of a subject within the major disciplines of science and technology. Contributed by 5000 internationally known researchers (1500 more than in the eighth edition), the 7100 articles are well written and well organized. The excellent illustrations, primarily drawings with some black-and-white photographs and color plates, are central to the text. The topical index groups article titles under broad subject categories, while the 500-page analytical index provides more specific indexing. The set is updated every five years, with this edition's comprehensive revisions emphasizing industrial engineering, information technology and computing, chemistry and chemical engineering, physics and astronomy, the biomedical sciences, and the environmental, earth, and climate sciences. The short bibliographies at the end of each article have been revised, and the study guides have been expanded to cover 15 major scientific disciplines such as agriculture, electronics, and environmental science. Aside from this, very little is changed from the eighth edition. Both MEST and the recent Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (EPST) are excellent science encyclopedias and complement each other. Although the sets are comparable in size, EPST has only 790 articles, a difference that results from MEST's breaking up a topic into several individual articles. In contrast, EPST organizes the information into fewer chapter-length articles, making it better suited for self-study. Because MEST has slightly broader coverage and costs about $1000 less than EPST, most libraries would probably prefer to purchase this set if they have to make a choice. Highly recommended for all libraries. [Access Science, the e-version of this encyclopedia, is available at a price based on an institution's FTE, starting at $595 for a single user per year.-Ed.]-Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxvill.
--Teresa Berry, Univ. of Tennessee Libs., Knoxville Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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