1996

DA-96-2/3 -- History

96-2/3-339

Historical Dictionary of States: States and State-like Communities From Their Origins to the Present = Lexikon der Historischen Staatennamen. Peter Truhart. München [et al.]: Saur, 1996. xxxiv, 872 p. 25 cm. ISBN 3-598-11292-0: DM 298.00

Intended as a companion volume to the same author's Regents of Nations (München, 1984-88), this chronological handbook employs the concept of "state" in the broadest sense, covering also countries under foreign rule, "proto-states," and relatively loose confederations. The basic organization is chronological. Otherwise only minimal information is provided (e.g., capital, title of head of state, name of dynasty). Specific references from the text to the sources (all monographs) that are listed on pages 755-790 would have been useful. [sh/sl]

96-2/3-340

International directory of foreign ministers: 1589 - 1989 = Internationales Verzeichnis der Außenminister. Peter Truhart. München [et al.]: Saur. 30 cm

Supplement 1945 - 1995. 1996. xiv, 292 p. ISBN 3-598-11276-9: DM 228.00

The original Directory, published in 1989, was a spin-off from Truhart's Regents of Nations (München 1984-88). This "supplement" (which it is only in a limited sense) is divided into two sections. The first (pp. 1-231) is a listing of foreign ministers from 1945-1995, revising (largely by providing death dates) and updating the information from the 1989 volume. The second, much shorter part (pp. 233-289) consists of addenda and corrigenda to the first volume for the years 1589 to 1945. The bibliography lists sources not known for their importance and reliability. In contrast to Regents of Nations, this is a very specialized title that will be of interest only to very large or specialized libraries. [sh/sl]

96-2/3-341

Taschenbuch für Familiengeschichtsforschung [Genealogical Handbook]. Wolfgang Ribbe and Eckart Henning. 11th rev. and expanded ed. Neustadt an der Aisch: Degener, 1995. 640 p. 22 cm. ISBN 3-7686-1052-7: DM 78.00

This is, indeed, a complete revision of the previous edition (10th, 1990). Not only is it much larger (640 vs. 479 pages), but the number of contributors has grown from fourteen to twenty-four. The list of genealogical resources has been greatly expanded, especially those from the Catholic and Protestant churches (including, for example, Huguenot, Mennonite and Mormon material) as well as secular sources (e.g., civil registers, lists of university graduates, city directories). Other sections offer bibliographic guidance, information on ancillary disciplines, a list of terminology, etc. First published in 1911, this is a proven and enormously rich resource, useful not only to genealogists, but also to historians and librarians, who will learn much about areas that are usually left to amateur genealogists. [sh/sl]

96-2/3-342

Bibliographie zur Sphragistik: Schrifttum Deutschlands, Österreichs und der Schweiz bis 1990 [Bibliography of Sphragistics: Research Literature of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through 1990]. Ed. Eckart Henning and Gabriele Jochums. With a preface by Toni Diederich. Köln [et al.]: Böhlau, 1995. xx, 228 p. 27 cm. (Bibliographie der historischen Hilfswissenschaften, 2) ISBN 3-412-08695-9: DM 98.00

Sphragistics--the science of seals--has not received nearly as much bibliographic attention in German-speaking countries as has its close relative, the study of heraldry. Since Henning and Jochums also authored the bibliography of heraldry which appeared as the first bibliography in this series of the auxiliary sciences of history (Böhlau, 1984), the research for which surely generated numerous sphragistic titles, it was only logical that the second volume be devoted to this topic. This present work encompasses monographs and articles which appeared in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through 1990, including the older literature in Latin but excluding Swiss studies in Italian and French. There are 2,613 titles in all, numbered successively but without annotation, arranged in ten separate chapters. Only half of the works listed were actually examined by the authors. The longest chapters are devoted to general studies of seals and--the longest chapter by far--to individual seals. In the index, we find entries for places and countries as well as titles of seal handbooks and technical terms. The Bibliographie zur Sphragistik rectifies a long-standing deficit in the literature, and we may hope now for periodic multiyear supplements, for example in the pages of the Blätter für deutsche Landesgeschichte. [sh/jg]

96-2/3-343

Aux sources de l'antiquité gréco-romaine: guide bibliographique [On the Sources of Greco-Roman Antiquity: Bibliographic Guide]. J. Poucet and J. M. Hannick. 4th rev. and expanded ed. Bruxelles; Namur: Artel, 1995. 313 p. 24 cm. Former title: Introduction aux études classiques. ISBN 2-87374-019-1: FB 700.00. (Artel, pl. Baudouin Ier 2, B-5004 Namur)

Only seven years separate this new, fourth edition from the first publication of the work. (The 3d ed. was reviewed in RREO 94-3/4-542). Structure and organization have not been significantly changed. The 22 pages of new material affect principally part 3 ("Bibliographie d'orientation"), which has been updated and expanded, especially to make room for references to new electronic resources, and the "Sources littéraires," which now makes reference to the large full-text databases now available (e.g. Cetedoc Library of Christian Latin Texts) as well as to Internet-accessible datafiles and classics-related discussion groups. "Autres sources d'information bibliographique" has been cleared of out-of-date citations, and references to new digital bibliographic databases and even OPACs have been added. There are minimal shortcomings--Gnomon Bibliographische Datenbank is given short shrift, for example, and the new Database of Classical Bibliography is not mentioned under that title--but this new edition makes the same positive impression as its predecessors have done. [bb/jg]

96-2/3-344

Westermann-Lexikon Krisenherde der Welt: Konflikte und Kriege seit 1945 [Westermann Lexicon of World Trouble Spots: Conflicts and Wars since 1945]. Rüdiger Dingemann. Braunschweig: Westermann, 1996. 912 p. ill. 20 cm. ISBN 3-07-509516-8: DM 49.80

In 1983, the same author published Bewaffnete Konflikte seit 1945 (Armed Conflicts since 1945). This new volume is not only an update of the earlier work (through autumn 1995), but is also a more substantial treatment of its topic: 160 world trouble spots are covered in country order, elucidating the historical background, course and outcome of each conflict, introducing the conflicting parties and prominent individuals, and providing references to the pertinent literature. Sixty pages of maps introduce this richly illustrated volume, whereby those drawn from news sources such as Der Spiegel or Die Zeit are much less informative than those from Westermann's own atlases. In an appendix section, we find a chronology of the conflicts, a somewhat dubious systematic breakdown into categories Krisen (crises), Konflikte (conflicts), and Unruhen (unrest), a key to abbreviations, a well-organized selective bibliography, as well as indexes of places, countries, political parties and organizations, and personal names.

A weakness of the work is its fixation on events, a discursive strategy realized at the expense of more thoughtful elucidation of what was at stake in each conflict and of an introduction to the historical motives and backgrounds of the participants. An example is the treatment of the UN intervention in Rwanda and Burundi. Also, the lexicon's judgments appear to draw far too often on official government reactions rather than objective analysis. Although Dingemann fails to illuminate his topics adequately for the purposes of historians or political scientists, this condensed and highly focused treatment is nonetheless a useful work for libraries. Nonetheless, Patrick Brogan's The Fighting Never Stopped: A Comprehensive Guide to World Conflicts since 1945 (Random House Canada, 1989; New York: Vintage 1990) is still unmatched for its combination of fine-grained events summary and broad historical contextualization. [kuw/jg]

96-2/3-345

The Africa Book Centre book review. London: Africa Book Centre (38 King St., London WC2E 8JT). 30 cm. ISSN 1363-2477

No. 1 (1995). £12.00 (4 issues per year)

What originally seemed to be a promising reviewing organ when it was first cited in the British National Bibliography has turned out to be a sales catalog for the Africa Book Centre in London, which specializes in Africana. The main section of the issue received for review consists of two lists of new titles organized by keyword; the first includes 85 English language books published in Africa, the second about 200 titles about Africa, also primarily in English. The citations include very brief annotations, but no publishers, so that the user has no choice but to entrust him or herself to the services of the firm. [sh/vh]

96-2/3-346

Sources de l'histoire du Proche-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord dans les archives et bibliothèques françaises [Historical Sources on the Near East and North Africa in French Archives and Libraries]. Commission Française du Guide des Sources de l'Histoire des Nations. Prepared with the assistance and under the auspices of UNESCO. München [et al.]: Saur. 24 cm. (Guides des sources de l'histoire des nations: Sér. 3, Afrique du Nord, Asie et Océanie, 5)

Archives

Pt. 1. Archives nationales. 1996. xxx, 463 p. ISBN 3-598-21478-2: DM 840.00 ([1]-[3])

Pt. 2. Archives départementales, municipales et des ministères. 1996. xx p., p. 465-950. ISBN 3-598-21478-2: DM 840.00 (1-3)

Pt. 3. Autres archives [Other Archives]. 1996. xx p.; p. 951-1335. ISBN 3-598-21478-2: DM 840.00 (1-3)

The extraordinarily diverse set of volumes united in the series Guides to the Sources for the History of Nations--published now over several decades with UNESCO support on behalf of the International Council on Archives by a changing cast of publishers and in a host of different nations--has always been a source of masochistic pleasure for cataloging librarians. It consists of three subseries, the first two devoted to Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. Subseries three, on sources for the study of history of North Africa, Asia, and Oceania, is as yet incomplete. Beginning with volume 2, it has been published by K. G. Saur in Munich.

Unlike countries with little colonial past, such as the former Yugoslavia, which merited just 164 pages in volume 10, France's immense archives and libraries have required two volumes, each divided into several separately published parts. The present volume, vol. 5 in the third subseries, has just been published, and it, too, is bibliographically very complex, being divided into three parts, each of these then subdivided into three unnumbered subparts, covering respectively French national archives, the Bibliothèque Nationale, and then all other libraries.

Although most of the archives date from French colonial times, their scope extends back as far as the Crusades and proceeds through 1945. Entries on individual archives consist of two parts, the first giving general information (addresses, hours, etc.), the second describing the archival holdings themselves. Adhering to French archival practice, relatively homogeneous collections are described briefly, while the more heterogeneous ones receive a more detailed and differentiated treatment--leading often to the false impression that the former are smaller than the latter, which is regularly not the case. The index volumes cover names and places, but not topics. Several appendices provide information on the names of responsible ministries as well as civil and military administrations in Algeria and other territories. There is also a summary listing of existing printed guides to the source material inventoried on these pages. [sh/jg]

96-2/3-347

Chronik der Deutschen [Chronicle of the Germans]. [Brigitte Beier et al.]. 3d rev. and updated ed. Gütersloh; München: Chronik-Verlag, 1995. 1224 p. ill. 30 cm. ISBN 3-577-14341-X: DM 128.00

Chronik der Deutschen is the flagship publication of Chronik-Verlag, whose books have been staples in German bookstores since the early 80s. Like the earlier two manifestations of the Chronik, this third edition--the original was published in 1988--has heft and a plethora of illustrations. Articles are relatively short and written in a snappy journalistic style. Over two thousand years of history are covered in its 25 chapters, whereby the 20th century takes up almost 600 pages or half the book, while the 19th has 240 pages and the 18th only 70. The rest of German history is dealt with rather summarily in the remaining 370 pages. There are subject and name indexes to facilitate access.

Despite its inviting appearance and an introduction by former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, this is a work which most libraries can do quite well without. Both the selection and treatment of topics is glibly popular and therefore questionable, often reflecting and reinforcing a worldview characteristic of Germany's loud and strident popular press. History is degraded here to a succession of sensations and scandals. Even most schoolbooks provide a more rounded and balanced look at German history than this. [ab/jg]

96-2/3-348

Die deutschen Landkreise: Wappen, Geschichte, Struktur [German Counties: Coats-of-Arms, History, Structure]. Ed. Erich Dieter Linder and Günter Olzog. 2d ed. Augsburg: Battenberg, 1996. 392 p. ill. 30 cm. ISBN 3-89441-114-7: DM 120.00

Since the first edition of 1986, the number of Landkreise (counties) covered by this work has grown from 237 to 323--thanks to German unification and the redrawing of boundaries in the East. The volume begins with introductions by the president and the executive director of the Deutscher Landkreistag, the national organization of county governments, and an introduction to the study of coats-of-arms by co-editor E. D. Linder. Counties are then presented in alphabetical order by Bundesland (federal state), with a page devoted to each of them. For each county, in addition to basic information on demographics, administrative structure, and important addresses, there is a color reproduction of its coat-of-arms, a brief history of the county, and a description of points of touristic interest. A map of each Kreis would have been desirable, but is lacking.

Most of the information contained in this volume can also be found in general encyclopedias, such as Brockhaus or Meyer. The work's preoccupation with coats-of-arms goes beyond what the anticipated readership will likely want to know--without approaching what one might find in the amply available specialist literature on the topic. Finally, many of the county histories and, above all, the points-of-interest information do not rise above the level of bad tourist brochures. This book cannot be recommended as a reference work for libraries. [sah/sh/jg]

96-2/3-349

Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Ed. William W. Kibler and Grover A. Zinn. New York; London: Garland, 1995. xxvi, 1047 p. ill. 29 cm. (Garland Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages, 2; Garland Reference Library of the Humanities, 932) ISBN 0-8240-4444-4: $95.00

96-2/3-350

Dictionnaire de la France médiévale [Dictionary of Medieval France]. Jean Favier. [Paris]: Fayard, 1993. 982 p. ill. 25 cm. ISBN 2-213-03139-8: FF 750.00

Medieval France is the second of Garland's new series of medieval lexica, the first, published in 1993, having been devoted to Scandinavia. The scope of the present work extends from the 5th to the 15th centuries, with roughly equal attention being given to politics, economics, society, culture, and art--a truly interdisciplinary mix. Over 200, mostly Anglo-Saxon scholars have contributed to the volume in articles of between 50 and 3000 words. Each article concludes with references to the literature and one or several cross-references to articles on related topics. The work is well illustrated, with numerous black-and-white pictures, tables, and maps. Various useful glossaries are found at the end of the work. The usefulness of the apparatus is compromised, however, by a lack of uniformity in the alphabetization of names, sometimes using the first name, e.g. "Guillaume de Saint-Par," other times the "family" name, e.g. "Machaut, Guillaume de." Though the book is directed chiefly at students and the interested layman, a number of articles will also be of interest to specialists. The literature cited is heavily biased toward English-language research, with foreign-language material brought in, it would seem, only when literature in English is absent.

Although virtually all of the topics in Medieval France are handled in greater depth in Lexikon des Mittelalters (München, 1980 ; as of 1995 7 vols.), the Garland volume can be recommended as a supplement or low-priced alternative for many libraries. [ab/jg]

Unlike Medieval France, the Dictionnaire de la France médiévale is the work of a single author, the well-known French medievalist Jean Favier. Length of articles varies quite extremely, with numerous entries of a few lines in length and others of one to several pages--"Paris" is the longest, at eleven pages. The many very short entries of the Dictionnaire that are lacking in comparable works increase its usefulness for the identification of minor figures and places of French history. The absence of any references to other literature is thoroughly exasperating, however, and for this reason alone the usefulness of Favier's work cannot transcend that of a supplementary reference work for most libraries. [sh/jg]

96-2/3-351

Histoire et dictionnaire du temps des lumières [History and Dictionary of the Age of Enlightenment]. Jean de Viguerie. Paris: Laffont, 1995. 1730 p. 20 cm. (Bouquins) ISBN 2-221-04810-5: FF 189.00

As the author notes, the 18th century in France, aside from being outshone by the glorious Grande siècle preceding it and the eras of the Revolution and Napoleon which followed, also suffers from lasting only 75 years: from the death of Louis XIV in 1715 to the storming of the Bastille. Small wonder then that this work represents the only contemporary lexicon now available on its topic.

In point of fact, it actually delivers more than the twinned publication types the title promises. Part I presents, in 500 pages, a broad and eclectic review of French history in this era, divided into three historical periods (1715-1743, 1743-1774, and 1774-1789). Part II (180 pages) considers the parallel historical developments in the rest of Europe and beyond. Part III is the promised lexicon (800 pages), which in addition to subject rubrics (e.g. gabelle, lettre de cachet) and place names, offers especially strong coverage of individual historical figures--very valuable, though not comparable in depth to entries for the same names to be found in existing biographical encyclopedias, both general and specialized. Part IV (100 pages) is a synoptic chronology of French history, with parallel columns for France and the rest of Europe, detailing political, social, and cultural events. Part V (160 pages), finally, is a copious bibliography, consisting of a literature survey in narrative form followed by unannotated title lists--and even a filmography. Strangely, the index covers only those proper names mentioned in parts I and II.

This compact work is available only in this inexpensive paperback edition. It will be an asset to most reference collections. [sh/jg]

96-2/3-352

La France contemporaine, XIXe-XXe siècles: méthode pratique pour la recherche historique [Contemporary France, 19th-20th Centuries: Practical Method for Historical Research]. Hervé Bastien. Paris [et al.]: Masson, 1995. 217 p. 24 cm. (Histoire contemporaine générale). ISBN 2-225-84645-6: FF 139.00

This handbook on carrying out historical research on modern France is intended for students learning the tools of their profession and as a reference work for practicing researchers. The first eight chapters are devoted to the historiography of the period, and include a wide range of practical information on the most important archives, libraries, and documentation centers pertaining to the 19th and 20th centuries. The second large part of the work is devoted to bibliographic guides pertaining to government and administration, economics, sociology, and culture. The last part concludes this useful work with a list of addresses of libraries and archives, and also prints excerpts of the French archival classification system.

The work's real usefulness will be found in doing research using source materials; because of its incomplete, abbreviated bibliographic guide to secondary literature, it is not meant to replace other guides already published, such as Barbier's Bibliographie de l'histoire de France. Paris: Masson, 1986). [sh/rob]

96-2/3-353

A Bibliography of British History 1914-1989. Comp. and ed. Keith Robbins. Oxford: Clarendon, 1996. xxxix, 981 p; 29 cm. ISBN 0-19-822496-6: £90.00

96-2/3-354

British History 1945-1987: An Annotated Bibliography. Peter Catterall. Publ. for the Institute of Contemporary British History. Oxford [et al.]: Blackwell, 1990. xxxii, 843 p. 25 cm. ISBN 0-631-17049-9: £110.00

Historians of British history are fortunate not only because of the availability of the ongoing bibliographical index Annual Bibliography of British and Irish History, but also because they possess a fairly comprehensive series of retrospective bibliographic cumulations produced by the Royal Historical Society. The first volume listed above is the latest published, covering the greater part of the 20th century. The latter volume would probably not have been produced had the former not been so slow in coming. In satisifying a glaring need to bring out a compilation at least for the post-war period, the compiler Peter Catterall was able to complete the remarkable 8644 entry bibliography within the short span of two years.

While Catterall's volume has provided a useful research tool for the post-war period since its appearance six years ago, the latest cumulation of the Royal Historical Society offers scholars a much more comprehensive survey of British history of the 20th century. With over 27,000 entries, the volume attempts to encompass the entire range of British life and culture as it has developed this century: constitutional and political history, foreign policy, war, economics, religion, along with the many facets of British society (transportation, the environment, education, health, and so on). All of these categories are organized into an extensive table of contents. Unfortunately the editors apparently felt this would suffice when doing subject-based research in the work, since there is only an author index at the end. This, somewhat unnecessarily, repeats the bibliographic citations given in the body of the work, only this time organized by author (this index alone thus takes up almost a third of the volume). For a bibliography the title citations are rather terse, with such important information as series titles and physical details being absent. Also disappointingly absent are citations of works in languages other than English. In spite of these shortcomings, A Bibliography of British History 1914-1989 is an indispensible addition to all those doing research in 20th century British society and culture. [sh/rob]

96-2/3-355

Contemporary Italy: A Research Guide. Martin J. Bull. Westport, Conn.; London: Greenwood, 1996. xvii, 141 p. 24 cm. (Bibliographies and Indexes in World History, 43). ISBN 0-313-29137-3: $65.00. (Eurospan, 3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8LU, United Kingdom)

The basis for this rather small volume is the author's contribution to the Southern European Studies Guide, a work found in Saur Verlag's Area Studies Guide Series. Significantly enlarged and updated as a monograph, the work is composed of two major parts: it begins with a longer bibliographic essay on researching the various facets of Italian society and culture over the past fifteen years, and includes separate sections on history, politics, government, economics, and society. The second half of the work is organized under the same rubrics, but this time as an annotated bibliography of 662 numbered citations. This separation of narrative and bibliography was meant to make the bibliography a more handy reference work, but it is most practical to use both in tandem when working with the guide. With its subject and author indexes, the volume, in spite of the relatively high price, can be considered a necessary addition to other reference works on contemporary Italy. [sh/rob]

96-2/3-356

International Bibliography of Pre-Petrine Russia. Hermann Beyer-Thoma. München: Osteuropa-Institut. 29 cm. (Mitteilungen. Osteuropa-Institut München, . . .). (Osteuropa-Institut, Scheinerstr. 11, 81679 München)

1993 (1995). iii, 158 p. (. . ., 4). DM 15.00

96-2/3-357

Britische, amerikanische und russische Aktenpublikationen zu Osteuropa im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert: ein Führer zu Mikroform-Beständen der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek [Published British, American, and Russian Documents concerning Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries: A Guide to Microform Collections of the Bavarian State Library]. Freddy Litten. München: Osteuropa-Institut. 60 p. figs. 29 cm. (Mitteilungen. Osteuropa-Institut München, 9). DM 7.50. (Osteuropa-Institut, Scheinerstr. 11, 81679 München)

96-2/3-358

Osteuropa-Jahresbibliographie [Annual Bibliography of Eastern Europe]. Reinhard Frötschner. München: Osteuropa-Institut. 29 cm. (Mitteilungen. Osteuropa-Institut München, . . . ). (Osteuropa-Institut, Scheinerstr. 11, 81679 München)

1994 (1995). 430 p. (. . ., 7). DM 15.00

96-2/3-359

European bibliography of Slavic and East European studies = Bibliographie européenne des travaux sur l'ex-URSS et de l'Europe de l'Est = Europäische Bibliographie zur Osteuropaforschung. École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris; Council for Slavonic and East European Library Services; Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Osteuropa-Abteilung; Erasmushogeschool, Brussel; Oost-Europa Instituut, Universiteit van Amsterdam; Österreichisches Ost- und Südosteuropa-Institut, Wien. Paris: Institut d'Études Slaves. 30 cm. Vol. 1 1975 (1977) through vol. 15 1989 (1993) published as: European Bibliography of Soviet, East European and Slavonic Studies. ISSN 1259-458X

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