The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: A Tour through History from Ancient Times to the Present (Six Volumes)

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*Starred Review* History is messy." Joyce Salisbury, the general editor, makes this observation in her introduction to The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life. Despite her claim, this ambitious and accessible resource intended for a general audience provides an amazingly organized overview of the minutia that has shaped everyday life from antiquity through the present day. These myriad details represent the common experiences that are essential to a thorough understanding of history and the development of civilizations but are too often glossed over or relegated to footnote status in many standard works. In recognition of the importance of this type of data, the editors have devised an organizational structure, equally effective in both the print and online versions, that provides multiple access points. In the print version the first level is chronological, with each of the volumes covering a distinct time period: The Ancient World, The Medieval World, 15th and 16th Centuries, 17th and 18th Centuries, 19th Century, and The Modern World. However, relatively few cultures fit neatly into these chronological divisions, and the flow of daily life tends to transcend political and historic boundaries. Correspondingly, the editors have divided each volume into seven major categories: "Domestic Life," "Economic Life," "Intellectual Life," "Material Life," "Political Life," "Recreational Life," and "Religious Life." Following overview essays, these categories are further divided into subcategories, some of which address topics that are common to all periods, such as "Marriage," and some of which address topics unique to a period, such as "Peasants, Serfs and Slaves" in the "Political Life" section in The Medieval World. Information is further refined through culture-specific examples. For instance, "Peasants, Serfs and Slaves" has separate discussions of Europe, the Vikings, China, and the Islamic world. A "concept compass" that charts these divisions appears in the margin of almost every page. The set index, which is 77 pages long and included in each volume, is an essential tool in pulling together all the information on a particular concept or culture. The text assumes a fairly mature audience; there are frank discussions of sexual practices, birth control, infanticide, medical procedures, and so on. Text is set off by subheadings and accompanied by black-and-white illustrations, boxed informational inserts called "Snapshots," and quotes. Most major entries are followed by suggested Web sites or sources for further research. A particularly helpful feature is a selection of primary sources that concludes each volume. These documents have been judiciously chosen to complement and further define text material. Some selections have been excerpted from readily accessible and well-known documents, such as the Egyptian Book of the Dead or Machiavelli's The Prince. Others come from more obscure sources, such as an eyewitness account of an eighteenth-century peasant uprising in Japan or the first 12 articles of the 1936 Soviet Constitution. Daily Life provides a level of detail and ease of access that users will appreciate. Researchers can find in-depth information about a specific civilization, follow the development of particular social phenomena through history, or dip in for ready-reference-type facts and statistics. Although in general the print version offers less detail than Gale's World Eras series, its structure facilitates cross-cultural comparisons.The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life is highly recommended for high-school, academic, and large public libraries. RBB
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Review
A carefully crafted encyclopedia designed for those without a background in cultural history....recommended for high school and undergraduate libraries, as well as public libraries.Library Journal

Book Description
What did historical peoples eat, wear, use? What did they hope, invent, sing? Our lives are built on essential but seemingly mundane things: food, shelter, families, neighbors, work, and play. Our activities rarely rise to headline-making greatness, and the same holds true for the majority of people throughout history. Yet it's the unremembered details of people's everyday struggles and successes that have shaped history, and continue to drive the world we know. Perfect for general readers and students of world history, U.S. history, literature, drama, social studies, anthropology, religion, and more, this exciting new resource offers an unprecedented look at human history's living heart: the billions of anonymous men and women too often forgotten by historical studies, but without whose lives human history would be meaningless.


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Salisbury (history, Univ. of Wisconsin), the author of Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World and other titles on culture in history, has edited a carefully crafted encyclopedia designed for those without a background in cultural history. Based on Greenwood's "Daily Life Through History" series, the work provides an overview of the material, domestic, recreational, religious, political, intellectual, and economic aspects of daily life in a selection of cultures from six broad historical periods: the ancient world, the medieval world, the 15th and 16th centuries, the 17th and 18th centuries, the 19th century, and the modern world. Each of the six volumes gives a survey of the historical period in each culture covered, which is representative rather than exhaustive, then covers aspects of daily life from broad topics to narrower. Bottom Line Although some primary documents are included and recommended readings are listed, the work is not intended as a research guide for advanced students of culture. It is, however, useful for students and is thus recommended for high school and undergraduate libraries, as well as public libraries where there is an interest in the "Daily Life" series. [See also the review of Greenwood Daily Life Online, p. 28ff. Ed.] Rosanne M. Cordell, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


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