E-Books & Online Books

According to the publisher, this book "provides a comprehensive and balanced overview of the most controversial issues that involve our schools" (from ABC-CLIO).

Formerly the Encyclopedia of Bioethics; Offers hundreds of revisions or addenda to entries from previous editions as well as over 100 new or rewritten entries on topics such as key cases in bioethics, the human biome, genetically modified foods, emergency preparedness and response, social justice, sustainability, chemical warfare and torture, among many others. Revised articles will explain the events as well as legislation changes of the past decade.

A collection of e-books of lectures on cell and molecular biology and biomedicine, including the neurosciences. NOTE: Library only has access to Collection #1.

Contains primary source documents from 1917 to the present day.

This book addresses a variety of current religious issues, analyzing religion's role in the rise of fundamentalism, censorship, human rights, environmentalism and sustainability, sexuality, bioethics, and other areas. The first volume covers theoretical and academic debates, the second looks at debates in the public square and ethical issues, while the third examines specific issues and case studies.

This title is a great starting point for research on terrorism. Topics covered include a historical look at counterterrorism strategies and laws since WWII, key issues, counterterrorism since 9/11, and more.

Access to current American and World political information through a variety of resources, including the Political Handbook of the World, Congress and the Nation, Politics in America, and CQ Weekly, as well as Supreme Court Yearbook, CQ Researcher, Historic Documents Series, and four quality political science encyclopedias.

This multi-disciplinary encyclopedia covers curricular subjects related to divorce, both in the U.S. and globally, as examined by disciplines ranging from marriage and the family to anthropology, social and legal history, developmental and clinical psychology, and religion, all through a lens of cultural sociology. Appendices provide further annotated sources of data and statistics.

Addresses the key defining issues of contemporary American society through the lens of political and social controversy

"This book provides far more than an effective overview of the history, current status, and future of capital punishment in America; it supplies excerpts of the words of the justices themselves to make these judicial opinions readily accessible and understandable to general audiences. As a result, readers can see what the justices had to say for themselves regarding more than 30 important cases involving the death penalty—without relying on any intermediary interpretations of their statements."

This issues-based reference set on education in the United States tackles broad, contentious topics that have prompted debate and discussion within the education community.

The volumes focus on pre-school through secondary education and explore prominent and perennially important debates. Topics for the ten volumes are: Alternative Schooling & School Choice, Curriculum & Instruction, Diversity in Schools, Religion in Schools, School Discipline & Safety, School Finance, School Governance, School Law, Standards & Accountability in Schools, and Technology in Schools.

This three-volume reference handbook addresses the policy, practice, and emerging trends related to special needs children (from ABC-CLIO).

This two-volume includes entries on the events, people, and ideas of the early medieval world. Primary documents are included.

Articles in this book cover all aspects of eating disorders, including related topics such as exercise and activities, body image and self-esteem, therapies, and more.

This book discussions current issues in education, ranging from equity, diversity, and poverty to multiple intelligences, assessments, standarized tests, and more. A chronology, documents, and bibliography are included (from ABC-CLIO).

Covers leading cases, major statutes, legal terms and concepts, notable persons involved with the law, and primary documents.
Formerly called West's Encyclopedia of American Law.

This title is "the only comprehensive collection of twenty-first century scholarship available on the entire ancient Mediterranean world." It contains "over 5,000 original entries spanning the late Bronze Age through the seventh century CE. Entries extend to all Mediterranean civilizations, including the Near East and Egypt, and represent an unprecedented level of coverage of the ancient world."

The Encyclopedia of Aesthetics is a comprehensive survey of major concepts, thinkers, and debates about the meaning, uses, and value of all the arts—from painting and sculpture to literature, music, theater, dance, television, film, and popular culture.

Provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the poetry, drama, fiction, and literary and cultural criticism produced from the Restoration of the English monarchy to the onset of the French Revolution.

Covers the relationships among business, ethics, and society, with an emphasis on business ethics and the role of business in society.

"A comprehensive reference work on the history and impact of Christianity. This four-volume work spans issues ranging from theology, politics and law, through to literature, art and architecture."

Coverage in this extensive encyclopedia comprises of business and the economy issues; criminal justice issues; family and society; and environment, science and technology issues.

The Encyclopedia of Crisis Management comprehensively overviews concepts and techniques for effectively assessing, analyzing, managing, and resolving crises, whether they be organizational, business, community, or political.

Covers the full spectrum of diversity issues, including race, class, gender, religion, language, exceptionality, and the global dimensions of diversity as they relate to education in the United States and worldwide.

Searchable by Subject, A-Z listing of entries as well as includes a "Reader's Guide" which allows for browsing through thematic categories. Key Themes include accountability, diversity, public policy, religion and religious education, school types, special needs and technology.

The Encyclopedia of English Renaissance Literature presents comprehensive coverage of all aspects of English literature produced from the early 16th to the mid 17th centuries.

Encyclopedia gives historical geographical insight as well as focuses on the current need to understand geography ( (1) globalization, (2) environmental destruction, (3) new geospatial technologies, and (4) cyberspace.)

Encyclopedia of Human Services and Diversity is the first encyclopedia to reflect the changes in the mission of human services professionals as they face today's increasingly diverse service population. Diversity encompasses a broad range of human differences, including differences in ability and disability, age, education level, ethnicity, gender, geographic origin, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and values.

Key Themes: Children and Youth Services; Community Development; Cultural Competence in Human Services; Culture-Specific Services; Family Services; Hospitals, Health Care, and Cultural Competence; International Cultural Competence; Legislation and Regulations; Mental and Behavioral Health Services; Organizations, Programs, Government Agencies and Departments; Race and Ethnicity; Regional Cultural Competence; Socioeconomic Status and Cultural Competence

Provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of Latin American history and culture from prehistoric times to the present. Covers cultural issues and includes numerous biographical profiles of important figures in politics, letters and the arts.

This three-volume encyclopedia describes and explains the variety and commonalities in Latina/o culture, providing comprehensive coverage of a variety of Latina/o cultural forms -- popular culture, folk culture, rites of passages, and many other forms of shared expression.

The Encyclopedia of Literary and Cultural Theory provides a highly informative reference work in this multidisciplinary field. The entries provide explanations of complex terms and important theoretical concepts, as well as summaries of the work and ideas of key figures.

Covers numerous topics in management theories and applications, such as aggregate planning, benchmarking, logistics, diversification strategy, non-traditional work arrangements, performance measurement, productivity measures, supply chain management, and much more.

Topics covered in this three-volume encyclopedia range from accident reconstruction to budgeting to vectors to wind power and a wide variety in between.

Just as the Cold War colored global relations in the last half of the 20th century, developments in the Middle East and the proliferation of terrorism are coloring global relations during the opening years of the 21st century. A knowledge of these issues is critically important to understanding both the cultural clashes between East and West and U.S. military, diplomatic, and national security policy in the new millennium.

Provides information on China including: the people, politics, economics, religion, philosophy, traditions, art, and literature from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day.

Information on the central terms, concepts, topics, issues, themes, debates, theories, and texts as well as to examine the topic of motherhood in various contexts such as history and geography and by academic discipline.

The various aspects of Native American healing found cross-culturally in North America, including Canadian & Inuit cultures are explored.

Focuses on "medicine" or sacred ceremonies conducted through shamans in North America.

Full-text of the complete 2nd multi-volume encyclopedia (from Macmillan-Gale).

Includes information on a wide-variety of political science topics, including American and international politics, political ethics, public policy, religion and politics, terrorism, and more.

First published in 1990, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music is the largest project ever undertaken on the subject. This authoritative biographical encyclopedia of rock, pop, and jazz artists covers popular music from 1900 to the present (now located in Oxford Reference Online Database).

The Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies brings together the most wide-ranging and up-to-date scholarship ever assembled on the colonial, postcolonial and neo-colonial condition, covering the period from 1492 to the present.

Examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, and scientific theories of race and racism in the modem era. Delves into the historic origins of ideas of race and racism and explores their social and scientific consequences. Includes biographies of significant theorists, as well as political and social leaders and notorious racists.

A multidisciplinary examination of religion in American life.

"This book provides a thorough introduction to historical and contemporary issues in American religion, tackling controversial hot-button topics such as abortion, Intelligent Design, and Scientology."

A collection of entries covering how to plan and conduct empirical research, including the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The Encyclopedia of Romantic Literature is an authoritative three-volume reference work that covers British artistic, literary, and intellectual movements between 1780 and 1830, within the context of European, transatlantic and colonial historical and cultural interaction.

"Covers a broad range of historical and modern topics to create an understanding of many of the most significant social and political developments and changes throughout much of human history, from the French revolution, to the global women’s movement, to Martin Luther King and the American civil rights movement, through to more recent issues including environmentalism and the Arab Spring"

Contains essays on "issues such as human rights media, indigenous peoples' media, and environmentalist media, and on key concepts widely used in the field such as alternative media, citizens' media, and community media."

"This two-volume encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction to the wide-ranging, fast-developing field of social networking, ... offer[ing] comprehensive coverage of the theory and research within the social sciences that has sprung from the analysis of such groupings, with accompanying definitions, measures, and research."

The "Encyclopedia of Social Work [is] the first continuously updated online collaboration between the National Association of Social Workers (NASW Press) and Oxford University Press (OUP). Building off the classic reference work, a valuable tool for social workers for over 85 years, the online resource of the same name offers the reliability of print with the accessibility of a digital platform. Over 400 overview articles, on key topics ranging from international issues to ethical standards, offer students, scholars, and practitioners a trusted foundation for a lifetime of work and research, with new articles and revisions to existing articles added regularly."

Entries explore the theory, research, and application of psychology as it relates to sport and fitness in a manner that is accessible and jargon-free to help readers better understand human behavior in sport and exercise settings.

"Presenting state-of-the-art research and evidence-based applications, this four-volume resource provides the most comprehensive and accessible information available on sports medicine. The Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine describes all aspects of the field with perspectives, concepts, and methods from the medical, behavioral, and social sciences and physical education."

This five-volume encyclopedia includes entries on the people, battles, armies, and states involved in the War, as well as topics related to society and culture such as music, religion, newspapers, medicine, and more.

A Civil War chronology; bibliography; and collection of primary documents are also included.

Access 10 contextual essays, maps, and a chronology, along with entries covering the people, places, battles, and other related events and topics of the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras (from ABC-CLIO).

The Encylopedia of the Gothic features a series of newly-commissioned essays from experts in Gothic studies that cover all aspects of the Gothic as it is currently taught and researched, along with the development of the genre and its impact on contemporary culture.

The Encyclopedia of the Novel provides authoritative accounts of the history, terminology, genre, and theory of the novel.

This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive examination of U.S. military history from the beginning of the republic in 1783 up to the eve of war with Great Britain in 1812. It enables a detailed study of the Early Republic, during which ideological and political divisions occurred over the fledgling U.S. military. The entries cover all the important battles, key individuals, weapons, Indian nations, and treaties, as well as numerous social, political, cultural, and economic developments during this period.

This Encyclopedia offers an indispensable reference guide to twentieth-century fiction in the English-language. With nearly 500 contributors and over one million words, it is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference guide to twentieth-century fiction in the English language.

Explores the events, policies, activities, institutions, groups, people, and movements that have created and shaped political life in the United States from the 1500s to the present day (from CQ Press).

Explores more than 200 years of political, military, economic, and cultural connections between the United States of America and its neighbors to the south. Topics and features include: Maps, photographs, country-specific entries as well as biographies of major Latin American leaders and U.S. presidents. Also includes coverage of the U.S. economic and military policy in the region from the Monroe doctrine to the present day.

Spans the full sweep of literary genres and figures that define this influential period, combining accessibility with an unmatched breadth of coverage and authoritative scholarship.

This encyclopedia covers all aspects of war, including battles, culture and society, key figures, strategy and tactics, and weapons, across all continents and all periods of human history.

This work incorporates information about a variety of white-collar crimes, and provides examples of persons, statutes, companies, and convictions. Each entry offers a thorough and thoughtful summary of the topic. Describes specific elements of corporate law and the various illegal acts to which they apply and brief biographical sketches, primarily focused on how they relate to the study of white-collar crime.

Covers issues in contemporary women's and gender studies (2nd edition).

This handbook provides an overview of the history of the euthanasia/assisted suicide debate from the 1930s to the present. A table of legal cases, proposed legislation, and initiatives, along with a bibliography are also included.

This handbook provides an overview of the history of science and religion, Darwin, creationism vs. intelligent design, the relationship between religion and the American education system, and more. A select annotated bibliography is included.

This monumental, four-volume reference overviews significant events and developments in religious history over the course of more than five millenia.

This book is a guide to information on infectious diseases that have either lately appeared for the first time in a population or have recently rapidly increased in incidence such as Ebola, Lassa Fever, MERS, Rift Valley Fever, and Zika virus. The articles avoid medical jargon and use language that laypersons can understand while still providing authoritative, balanced information that addresses the pathogens that are causing and threaten to cause significant health crises.

This work includes 23 new ethnic groups and contains 152 revised ethnic entries on specific minority groups in the U.S., with an emphasis on culture (religions, holidays, customs, language) in addition to information on historical background and settlement patterns. The encyclopedia also covers ethnoreligious groups such as Jews, Chaldeans and Amish.

Alphabetically arranged encyclopedia provides coverage of important public health concerns. Topics include diseases and conditions, health and wellness efforts, nutrition, ethics and law related topics and statistics, sanitation issues, and everyday environmental effects.

Features more than 830 entries covering key global historical events from a regional perspective. Covering ancient civilizations to the present, important events in history are explored with an emphasis on their significance to overall world history. Volumes are chronologically arranged by region: Africa, Asia and Oceania, Central and South America, Europe, Middle East, and North America.

This book examines the unexplored field of applying social change to civic engagement in an effort to enlarge public welfare activities. It covers such topics as civic education, sustainable development, and child labor, citizen services, poverty reduction, rural development, and social media.

This encyclopedia provides quality overviews on a wide range of topics related to contemporary India, including education, foreign affairs, media, religion, food and health, economics, and culture.

A bibliography and chronology are also included.

The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods covers all communication research methods, from data collection to data analysis, from qualitative to quantitative, and from classical to modern approaches (such as psychophysiological measures, implicit association tests, and the analysis of big data). It introduces new and advanced methods and measurement tools that have been developed in other fields but which may be useful to communication scholars.

Browse by topic: Commercial Applications/ICT4D/Law & Policy/Online Gaming and Social Media.
It addresses a full range of topics including digitally-mediated social media, commercial applications and online gaming, to law and policy analysis and information and communication technologies for development.

"This landmark Encyclopedia brings together over 175 critical essays to redraw the boundaries of this rapidly evolving and dynamically complex area. Global in scope, wide-ranging in its inclusion of topics, and edited by an international team of the world's best scholars, this is the definitive resource for the field."

Online edition of 26 volume encyclopedia covering all fields of the social and behavioral sciences. Subjects covered include: aging, psychology, demography, education, gender studies, law, linguistics, public policy, sociology, urban planning, etc.

"Investing for the Long Run is a guide for new and experienced investors to help shape up personal finances. From creating a budget, merging finances with a significant other, to planning for retirement, we have information for individuals at every life stage."

According to the publisher, "this reference work is an ideal resource for anyone interested in better understanding the controversial Iraq War. It treats the war in its entirety, covering politics, religion, and history, as well as military issues." Essays discussing the causes and consequences of the war are included (from ABC-CLIO).

This collection of essays addresses the Latino/a experience in present-day America, covering six major areas of importance: education, health, family, children, teens, and violence.

"Everything from traditional folklore and music to pop culture such as television soap operas and Lucha Libre, a theatrical form of wrestling, make up the fabric of modern life in Mexico."

Use this title to learn more about military robots and drones, including their background and history and the controversies surrounding their use in the U.S. and abroad. This reference handbook also includes a chronology, bibliography, and documents (from ABC-CLIO).

"This comprehensive title is among the first to extensively use newly released 2010 U.S. Census data to examine multiculturalism today and tomorrow in America." The encyclopedia includes "more than 900 signed entries not just providing a compilation of specific ethnic groups and their histories but also covering the full spectrum of issues flowing from the increasingly multicultural canvas that is America today."
Also available in print: Ref E 184 .A1 M8145 2013

Online encyclopedia covering theology, philosophy, history, literary figures and more.

Discusses the Great Recession (2007-2009) in America, including what happened, its effects, how poverty is measured, government reactions, longstanding impacts, society's response, and what we can do to address poverty. Primary documents and recommended resources are included.

The Classical Studies area of OHO aims to offer high-quality scholarly coverage of all major fields and sub-fields of contemporary research into Classical and ancient Mediterranean culture. While Greco-Roman language, literature, history, religion and philosophy continue to be dominant areas of scholarly interest which are fully represented in this module, every effort is also made to cover dynamic growth-areas of research, especially in material culture, epigraphy and papyrology, art and architecture, the sciences, engineering and technology, reception studies, and gender studies.

Extensive coverage of writers, works, literary theory, allusions, and characters.

The first comprehensive, multi-disciplinary reference work covering every aspect of history, culture, religion, and life in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East (including the Persian Empire and Central Asia) between c. AD 250 to 750, the era now generally known as Late Antiquity.

Covers all key aspects of European history, society, and culture from 500 to 1500 A.D., as well as the Byzantine Empire, Islamic dynasties, and Asiatic peoples of the era.

This encyclopedia provides an exhaustive and accurate view of how and why wars were waged throughout Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Crusader States between 500 C.E. to 1500.

This encyclopedia "covers art, archaeology, religious studies, anthropology, history, and historiography" of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, including the Olmec, Aztec, and Mayans.

This work provides a compendium of the best available scholarship on Mexico’s rich history and culture. Themes include the expected topics of politics and economics, combined with powerful articles on biography, environment, gender, and culture, including music, art, and cinema.

This encyclopedia is a groundbreaking collection of detailed scholarly articles that address a wide range of topics in American religious history and culture, all written by experts in their fields. It is not an amalgam of articles on the traditionally invoked topics that have directed thinking about religion in America. Rather, it is organized in a way that utilizes the most recent categories of scholarly research to identify the crucial themes, events, people, places, and ideas that have constituted the rich history of religion in America.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts (OEBART) is an in-depth, comprehensive reference work that covers the cultural history of biblical texts, themes, characters, images, and the Bible itself in the literary, visual, and musical arts.

This encyclopedia provides a single source for authoritative reference overviews of scholarship on some of the most important topics of study in the field of biblical studies. It contains almost 120 in-depth entries, ranging in length from 500 to 10,000 words, on each of the canonical books of the Bible, major apocryphal books of the New and Old Testaments, important noncanonical texts, and thematic essays on topics such as canonicity, textual criticism, and translation.

Access over 700 articles in this collection of e-books from Oxford University Press. The titles in this collection cover world history, including major events and topics (i.e. the Cold War, witchcraft, Fascism, etc.), as well as countries/regions (i.e. Latin America, Iran, Germany, etc.).

Offers an unmatched account of the evolution of Western classical music by one of the most prominent and provocative musicologists of our time, Richard Taruskin.

Access over 900 articles using this collection of e-books from Oxford University Press. The titles in this collection cover literary periods, genres, and authors (i.e. John Donne, Shakespeare, and Percy Bysshe Shelley).

Access over 3,600 articles in this collection of e-books from Oxford University Press. The titles in this collection cover a wide variety of topics tied to the field of psychology, including disorders, cultures, children and families, cognition, and much more.

Access over 1,100 articles in this collection of e-books from Oxford University Press. Titles cover Biblical Studies, as well as world religions, and a variety of theologies.

An encyclopedia, not a dictionary, the New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics contains signed essays by leading economists. Coverage: 1987 to 2018

According to CQ Press, the "Political Handbook of the World provides thorough and accurate information on the major aspects of each country's government and political party system."

This handbook provides users with a great introduction to a variety of religious faiths and cultures and their impact on education. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Orthodox Schools, and the issues that surround them, are addressed (from ABC-CLIO).

In these A-Z volumes, readers can learn about methodologies and assessment strategies; get information about sectors, such as community media and media activism; and explore areas of study, such as journalism, advertising, and political communications. The rapid evolution of media systems, particularly digital media, is emphasized, and writings by notable media literacy scholars are included.

This handbook explains the many ways psychology is being applied to promote social justice, addressing such issues as social justice ideology and critical psychology, war and trauma, poverty and classism, environmental justice, and well-being and suffering. It showcases approaches for integrating social justice into psychology, and it examines psychology's application of social justice within special populations.

Access to must-have resources such as: DSM™ Library titles including DSM-5™, DSM-5™ Handbook of Differential Diagnosis, and DSM-5™ Clinical Cases. Journals including The American Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, and Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
The DSM 5 is also available in print Ref RC 455.2.C4 D54 2013

This work explores the contexts in which religious leaders move, leadership in communities of faith, leadership as taught in theological education and training, religious leadership impacting social change and social justice.

Examines information on leveraging the power of technology to support teaching and learning. While using innovative technology to educate individuals is certainly not a new topic, how it is approached, adapted, and used toward the services of achieving real gains in student performance is extremely pertinent. This two-volume encyclopedia explores such issues, focusing on core topics and issues that will retain relevance in the face of perpetually evolving devices, services, and specific techniques. As technology evolves and becomes even more low-cost, easy-to-use, and more accessible, the education sector will evolve alongside it. For instance, issues surrounding reasoning behind how one study has shown students retain information better in traditional print formats are a topic explored within the pages of this new encyclopedia.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty, 2nd Edition addresses the persistence of poverty across the globe while updating and expanding the landmark first edition, originally published in 2006 prior to the economic calamities of 2008.

The SAGE Handbook of Consumer Culture is a one-stop resource for scholars and students of consumption, where the key dimensions of consumer culture are critically discussed and articulated. Part 1: Sociology of Consumption Part 2: Geographies of Consumer Culture Part 3: Consumer Culture Studies in Marketing Part 4: Consumer Culture in Media and Cultural Studies Part 5: Material Cultures of Consumption Part 6: The Politics of Consumer Culture

The SAGE Handbook of Political Sociology offers a comprehensive and contemporary look at this evolving field of study. PART 1: TRADITIONS AND PERSPECTIVES PART 2: CORE CONCEPTS PART 03: POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES AND MOVEMENTS PART 04: TOPICS PART 05: WORLD REGIONS

The SAGE Reference Series on Disability is a cross-disciplinary and issues-based series which incorporates links from varied fields making up disability studies.

The eight volumes in the series discuss topics related to the Arts & Humanities; Assistive Technology & Science; Disability through the Life Course; Education; Employment & Work; Ethics, Law & Policy; Health & Medicine; and Rehabilitation Interventions.

Chronicles the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of American families from the colonial period to the present. Key themes include families and culture (including mass media), families and religion, families and the economy, families and social issues, families and social stratification and conflict, family structures (including marriage and divorce, gender roles, parenting and children, and mixed and non-modal family forms), and family law and policy.

Full-text of the encyclopedia.

has provided valuable in-depth coverage and analysis of every decision from the nation's highest court since the 1989-1990 term. Includes overviews of Supreme court terms from 1989 – 2009, case summaries, tables and figures on voting patterns and trends in constitutional law, biographies and more.

This peer-reviewed, academic collection contains essays on key topics in philosophical debates regarding arguments for and against the existence of God (e.g., Religious Experience, Miracles, Our Universe, Human Beings, Science and Religion, etc.). For each topic, it provides an essay from the viewpoint of theism, followed by an essay on the same topic from the viewpoint of atheism by a different author.

Provides access to the Vital Statistics on American Politics Series from 2005-2006 to 2015-2016. Topically organized, Vital Statistics on American Politics is a rich and authoritative resource of data covering the full spectrum of American politics dating back to 1788.

Access primary documents related to early Christian history covering topics such as Christian life, the early Church, women, persecution, and politics and the Church (from ABC-CLIO).

This fascinating collection of primary source documents furnishes the accounts—in their own words—of those who initiated, advanced, or lived through the Reformation.

Provides an introduction to the literature composed in Spanish. This linguistically based (rather than nationally defined) understanding of Spanish literature transcends genres, time periods, and political boundaries and recognizes that the growing diversity within national borders and the increasing interdependence between nations require new ways of understanding “national” literature.

"Presents easy-to-understand information on 194 countries and dependencies from around the world. Entries discuss a variety of topics in detail, from banking and securities to climate, from government data to demographic statistics. Also includes biographical essays on national leaders."