Native America: Portrait of the Peoples ANNOTATION
A comprehensive look at the indigenous peoples of the US and Canada from pre-Columbian times to the present. Each of the signed essays is written by an expert in the field and covers such topics as history, religion, arts, language, communication, and biography. Photos. Maps. Line drawings.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
The comprehensive Native North American Almanac (Gale, 1994), edited by Champagne, the director of the UCLA American Indian Studies Center, treats U.S. and Canadian people with an emphasis on recent history. Visible Ink, a Gale imprint aimed at the trade market, has severely abridged this major reference, resulting in a narrative of considerably narrower scope. Chapters on chronology, demography, and education have been eliminated, and the "Activism" chapter, which appears seventh in Native North American Almanac, sets the tone. Retained articles emphasize current topics and Native voices, and there is a new foreword by Dennis Banks, cofounder of the American Indian Movement (AIM). In republishing text from the larger work, Native America reproduces-on smaller, more sparsely printed pages-signed articles by recognized scholars with the consultation of a stellar advisory board, including John Aubrey, the Newberry Library's "expert's expert" of Native American research. The elimination of subject-specific and general bibliographies renders these articles less useful. Native America is commended for its insights and writing, but the Native North American Almanac is greatly preferred for academic readers and reference collections. For a concise reference work, another recent publication, Arlene Hirschfelder and Martha De Montano's The Native American Almanac: A Portrait of Native America Today (LJ 11/1/93), is suggested.-Margaret W. Norton, Montay Coll. Lib., Chicago
Booknews
Gale published The Native North American Almanac at the end of 1993--1,275 pages for $95 (clothbound). Although nowhere acknowledged on the book or press release, this looks like an abridged version. It provides lots of information at a nice low price. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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