DA - History

1996

DA-96-4 -- History

96-4-519

Bibliographie zur Zeitgeschichte. Mehrjahreskumulation im Auftrag des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte München [Bibliography of Contemporary History: Five-Year Cumulation]. Ed. Hellmuth Auerbach. München [et al.] Saur. 30 cm

Vol. 5. Suppl. 1990-95. 1997. xiv, 374 p. ISBN 3-598-11124-X: DM 348.00

This bibliography to contemporary history is a five-year cumulation of the annual Bibliographie zur Zeitgeschichte, published as a supplement to the journal Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte. It lists almost 11,000 titles and uses a new classification that is intended to reflect the changes in the way modern history is studied. Titles are indexed by author, editor, and title. There are no entries for corporate bodies, because the compilers still use the old "Prussian [Cataloging] Instructions." The focus is remains emphatically on German history of the twentieth century, with only 1725 entries for the rest of the world. The selection of titles is largely from German and English-language sources. Someone looking for Russian scholarship, for example, had better avail herself of a magnifying glass. Nonetheless, wear and tear on the preceding four cumulations suggests that these are popular with users. [sh/sl]

96-4-523

China Bibliography: A Research Guide to Reference Works about China Past and Present. Harriet T. Zurndorfer. Leiden [et al.]: Brill, 1995. xiv, 380 p. 25 cm. (Handbuch der Orientalistik: Ser. 4, China, 10) ISBN 90-04-10278-7: Hfl. 174.00

China Bibliography forms part of the highly regarded monographic series Handbook of Oriental Studies. Given the vastness of the subject, a focus is necessary, in this case the more recent literature on China, mainly in English and Chinese, but also including articles in Japanese and French. The omission of Russian language material is regrettable. Older materials on imperial and modern Chinese history and traditional reference works in Chinese are mentioned only in passing. Certain subject areas such as art, archaeology, and law, and special topics such as Hong Kong and Taiwan receive only marginal treatment. The introduction to Asian studies focuses on the early history of the discipline in France and the more recent period in Japan, China, and the U. S., but fails to consider Europe's contribution to the subject area. Wolff's guide to the literature provides a practical introduction to Chinese studies and the use of bibliographies. The appendices include a description of the Harvard-Yenching Library Classification System, but other classifications schemes (LC and the Szu-k'u system) are mentioned only in the introduction. Chinese and Japanese characters are used, as is the Wade-Giles system of transliteration. Name, title, and keyword indexes provide convenient access points. Despite its valuable material, China Bibliography is fraught with errors-from simple spelling mistakes to debatable inclusions and noticeable omissions. [hw/jb]

96-4-524

Japan: Profile of a Nation. Tokyo [et al.] Kodansha, 1995. 493 p. ill. 21 cm. ISBN 4-7700-1890-8: £. (Kodansha Europe, 95, Aldwych, London WC2B 4JF, United Kingdom)

Japan: Profile of a Nation is a one-volume paperback edition of Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Tokyo, 1993), which, in turn is an updated edition of the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan (Tokyo; New York, 1983-86). Japan: Profile consists of short fact-filled articles arranged into thematic areas such as geography, history, politics, culture, then subgrouped by region, institution, or topic. Articles use English subject headings if available; otherwise Japanese terms are transliterated into the Latin alphabet, or Chinese characters and Japanese syllabic writing are used. Access is provided by a detailed table of contents as well as an index of persons and subjects, with terms in both Japanese and English. While the articles themselves are not signed, the list of contributors includes internationally recognized Japan specialists. Color tables and black and white photos, generally too small to allow recognition of the subject matter depicted, provide illustrative material. The articles are generally informative and current as of 1994. Unfortunately, there are no bibliographical references whatsoever. Japan: Profile is a good basic reference tool, but does not offer sufficient depth for those doing detailed research. [hkl/jb]

96-4-527

Vademekum der Geschichtswissenschaften: Verbände, Organisationen, Gesellschaften, Vereine, Institute, Seminare, Lehrstühle, Bibliotheken, Archive, Museen, Dienststellen und Ämter sowie Historiker in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz [in Zusammenarbeit mit: Verband der Historiker Deutschlands . . .] [Guide to Historical Sciences: Associations, Organizations, Societies, Clubs, Institutes, Seminars, Professorships, Libraries, Archives...]. Stuttgart: Steiner. 21 cm. ISSN 0946-798X

2d ed. 1996-97 (1996). 594 p. ISBN 3-515-06839-2: DM 58.00

This 1996-97 directory fails to improve the institutional "self-portraits" and to provide an index to them by institutional name-two major deficiencies from its previous edition (1994-95) pointed out in a previous review (IFB 94-3/4-536). An index of the persons mentioned in the institution section has been added, and the coverage of persons has increased by half. Some of the institution sections, especially the historical society section, are still incomplete. All in all, a welcome new directory. Yet, an index of institutions is still strongly recommended. [sh/mj]

96-4-529

Berlin-Bibliographie. Ed. Stiftung Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin. München [et al.]: Saur. 24 cm. (Bibliographien / Historische Kommission zu Berlin, . . .) ISSN 0341-9347

1991 (1996). (. . ., 9) ISBN 3-598-23432-5: DM 198.00

This new volume for 1991 is much the same as the earlier volumes, published in 1995, covering 1985-89 and 1990 (reviewed in IFB 95-2-280). The number of titles listed (3,273) is almost identical, though the price is not (+ 43%). It is unfortunate that the time lag of five years has still not yet been reduced. [sh/mj]

96-4-531

Emeroteca storica italiana: catalogo bibliografico annuale degli articoli di argomento storico pubblicati in Italia su riviste e atti. [Italian History Journals: Annual Index of Articles in History Published in Italian Journals and Conference Proceedings. Ed. Claudia Rizzardi. Verona. 24 cm. (Emeroteca Storica Italiana, Casella postale 255, I-37100 Verona, FAX 45/8343520) [1]. 1994 (1995). x, 397 p. 2. 1995 (1996). xiv, 532 p.

96-4-532

Bibliografia storica nazionale [National Bibliography of History]. Ed. Giunta Centrale per gli Studi Storici. Roma; Bari: Laterza. 24 cm

Vols. 51-52. 1989-90 (1993). xxxviii, 527 p. Lit. 45,000

First published in 1995, Emeroteca storica italiana indexes historical journals and, as of volume 2, anthologies and collections. "History" is rather narrowly defined, being limited to events up to 1950, but including both Italian and non-Italian subjects. Like its much older counterpart, Bibliografia storica nazionale, only titles published in Italy (in whatever language) are covered. Indexed are close to 6,500 articles that appeared in some 530 journals and 126 collections. It is arranged by author, with a system of abbreviations, indexes, etc. that make it very cumbersome to use. Subject searches are possible through the indexes, but difficult. Despite its two-year time gap (in fact, the 1995 issue published in 1996 covers mostly 1994), Emeroteca is still more current than the Bibliografia storica nazionale, the latest volumes of which covered the period 1989-90 and were published in 1993.

Unlike Emeroteca, the Bibliografia is limited to Italian history. It indexes fewer journals (480), but extends its coverage to monographs and contemporary times (to 1990 in the volume at hand). The current issue includes almost 7,000 citations, arranged by historical epochs. This bibliography is generally easier to use than Emeroteca. The index lists only personal and geographical names. It is regrettable that both works use Italian sources only - clearly a serious study of Italian history is untenable on that basis - and that Italian historians create two competing bibliographies rather than work together to compile one of better quality. [sh/mj]

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