Encyclopedia of Social Work/With 1997 Supplement (19th Ed (3 Vol Set)) (Paperback)

by Richard L. Edwards (Author), Richard L. Edwards; June Gary Hopps (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Most encyclopedia publishers build on earlier editions to reduce costs and save time. That editorial tradition has little hold on the successive editors of the Encyclopedia of Social Work. The eighteenth edition (1987) represented a radical departure from its predecessors. The nineteenth edition follows its example.

Of the topics addressed by the 290 articles, approximately 55 percent are new to this edition. Only about 40 topics have been dropped, resulting in a greatly expanded encyclopedia that now fills three volumes rather than two. (It is also available, for the first time, on CD-ROM.) Even in the 135 topics covered in both this edition and its predecessor, differences are significant, since in most cases a new author has been commissioned. Only about 40 articles by the same authors repeat from the eighteenth to the nineteenth edition; these have been revised and updated to reflect changes since the mid-1980s. In short, this edition should be considered an all-new reference work.

The only section that strongly resembles its older counterpart is the biographical chapter, and even it has been expanded from 99 to 142 subjects. Selection of subjects was guided by a decision "to include more entries on women and people of color who had a significant impact on social work and social welfare." The preface clearly explains the editors' interest in diversifying not just the biographical section, but also the encyclopedia's authorship. Whereas the majority of contributors to the last edition were men, the majority of authors in this edition are women. Representation of individuals belonging to minority groups has risen from 16 percent to 24 percent. The preface also explains the editors' interest in using language that identifies groups in a neutral manner. However, it does not explain why, in a tool designed to explain the present state of social work practice, articles were dropped on such topics as divorce and separation, parent training, sex discrimination and inequality, and infertility services. Since these topics continue to be of interest, libraries should not discard the eighteenth edition.

Articles new to the nineteenth edition address both enduring topics (e.g., children's rights, family therapy, marriage/partners, professional conduct) as well as newer ones (e.g., bisexuality, the deaf community, HIV/AIDS, women and health care). Most of the 344 contributors are academics or social work practitioners. They have taken seriously the editors' guidelines to incorporate more statistical data into their articles; some use tables, graphs, or charts to present quantitative information graphically. The authors base their writing on literature published through the early 1990s and cite these up-to-date sources in the end-of-article bibliographies.

Several devices provide ready access to the encyclopedia's contents. See references guide users from variant forms of a topic to its entry title, and articles conclude with copious see also references. A box lists up to five keywords supplied by the author to describe the major concepts of the article. These are intended for use with the CD-ROM version but can also be used as entry points in the printed version's comprehensive index. Each volume opens with a table of contents covering the entire set. "Reader's Guides" list titles of articles in the encyclopedia related to 80 broad topics such as Aging, Employment, Sexuality, or Welfare.

This new edition explains current thinking and practice, as well as the foundation for current theories and practices, for the benefit of practitioners, students preparing for practice, and professionals in allied fields. It succeeds, without wholly superseding, the eighteenth edition.

Rather than incorporate a relatively ephemeral statistical section in the encyclopedia, the editors asked Leon Ginsburg to produce a second edition of his Social Work Almanac ($34.95, 0-87101-248-0), "a separate volume of statistical tables, charts, and graphs." It is being published simultaneously with this edition of the encyclopedia (and is also on the CD-ROM version, along with the third edition of The Social Work Dictionary) and should be considered an essential companion. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The Encyclopedia of Social Work, 19th Edition is the field's most comprehensive reference work for the general knowledge base of the profession. Three volumes provide nearly 3,000 pages of information on virtually every aspect of social work.

All of the 19th edition's 290 entries are new, and several areas of interest are covered in greater depth than before. Expanded content areas include new technologies, research, global changes, U.S. policy developments, evolving roles for social workers, and knowledge development.

The editors of the 19th edition included more entries on women and people of color and increased the diversity in the Encyclopedia's authorship. Of the over 300 contributors--academics or social work practitioners--the majority are women, and one-quarter are authors of color.

Each volume contains a complete table of contents and full index. "Reader's Guides" list all the entries that relate to a topic. "See" references lead readers to specific entries, and "See Also" references ensure that they find all the information related to a topic. Key words for each entry provide another search tool to help readers find content.

The Encyclopedia is a solid investment that will provide years of practical service as a one-stop resource for looking up facts, preparing papers, supplementing course work, initiating literature searches, and informing social work practice.

Special Features *All new entries *344 authors who are leading scholars *30% larger than the 18th edition *142 biographies *80 Reader's Guides *10 appendixes *Key words for every entry *Freestanding cross-references *Nearly 200 easy-to-read graphs, charts, and statistical tables.

Product Details

• Paperback: 2906 pages
• Publisher: NASW Press; 19 edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871012561
• ISBN-13: 978-0871012562
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #489,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, December 15, 2000

A Kid's Review

This volume book is outstanding especially if you are a student. The volume book includes evey topic that is associated with social work. If you are a social work student this volume book is a must have.

5.0 out of 5 stars Social work resource, December 23, 2008

By	Donald H. Kelpinski "Desert Guy" (Joshua Tree, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Do you have interns at your work place and you have been chosen by the gods to direct them? Do you vacilate from total awe to pure terror due to your ignorance when your interns throw buzz terms and ideas at you because you have not set foot in a colledge class room for three decades or more? If so... well, it is time to brush up and throw ideas and terms at them! Read these articles provided and have fun by throwing out questions like "Ah...that is a good point but what do you think of this case in the light of a cognitive/ behavioral mind set!" Get these encyclopedias and brush up on your social work theories and ideas today! I love them and use these for ideas for on going teaching classes too!