Spencer has written extensively about the history of physical anthropology and has published a lengthy bibliographic treatment of the subject (Ecce Homo: An Annotated Bibliographic History of Physical Anthropology, Greenwood, 1986). For the present work, he enlisted an international group of scholars and specialists to compose biographies on contributors to physical anthropology and essays on subjects such as subfields, national traditions, theories, controversies, sites, fossils, institutions, and museums. Entries include primary and secondary sources and, where applicable, location of archival materials. Cross references are provided, and the type is very small but clear. Although some likely biographies are missing, e.g., Mary Leakey and George Gliddon, the encyclopedia has tremendous breadth and depth, and it adds significantly to the literature. For researchers of the history and theory of science and medicine and library collections covering anthropology in any depth.?Joyce L. Ogburn, Old Dominion Univ. Lib., Norfolk, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Intended to "provid[e] a useful reference work for both students and professionals interested in the history of physical anthropology," this set is successful in presenting an overview of most aspects of the discipline in a readable form. The 169 contributors and the editor are all professionals in the field employed by universities and represent numerous countries on six continents. Most of the short articles are on fairly narrow topics; however, the selection is well balanced, with longer entries devoted to weightier concepts or discoveries. Articles are linked by plentiful cross-referencing, which is placed at the ends of entries. These see also references add considerably to depth of treatment and, in controversial areas, lead the reader to opposing viewpoints. The indexes are excellent, with one listing entries by biographical names and the other by subject.
Fairly comprehensive coverage is provided for three primary areas: development of specific areas of inquiry and theory; description of the discipline's intellectual and institutional development worldwide; and biographical sketches, current through 1993, of persons important to the discipline.
The style overall is clear, brisk, and engaging. Occasional technical terms are undefined, creating some frustration for the neophyte, though for the intended audience this would not be a problem. Exemplary bibliographies of print works--articles, books, and monographs--are consistently provided at the ends of all articles. Citations are listed for works in German and French as well as English. Titles of such articles are translated only when an English translation of the work in question exists. Well-placed black-and-white illustrations, predominantly maps and reproductions of photographs, are clearly labeled and referenced. Sources of maps are listed in the map captions.
More detailed and narrow in focus than Encyclopedia of Anthropology (Harper, 1976) and more detailed than either G. K. Hall's Dictionary of Anthropology [RBB Ag 87] or Anthropological Glossary (Robert E. Krieger, 1985), this new title fills a specific niche for research collections.
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