Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia

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"Conspiracy theories (and, from time to time, actual conspiracies) have played a vital role in shaping the course of American history." So states the editor of this set, which is the work of more than 123 contributors. It is intended as "a serious and comprehensive summary of all the major events, ideas, and figures of U.S. conspiracy thinking." The set begins with "Conspiracy Theories in America: A Historical Overview" and "Making Sense of Conspiracy Theories," two excellent articles that provide background and understanding of the subject. This material is followed by more than 300 entries for both actual and imagined conspiracies. Examples of theories include the extremely well known as well as the somewhat obscure. As might be expected, the entry on the John F. Kennedy assassination is the longest, covering 15 pages. Among other entries are AIDS, Cattle mutilations, Oklahoma City bombing, Pearl Harbor, Tobacco industry, UFOs, and whitewater. The theories are arranged alphabetically and include see also references and brief bibliographies of related works. Appropriate Web sites are also listed for some. Section 3 contains approximately 100 extracts from primary source documents, arranged chronologically from Cotton Mather's Wonders of the Invisible World (1692) to Lawton et al. v. Republic of Iraq (2003). A headnote explains the context of each. This is a fascinating reference set that presents intriguing (albeit sometimes far-fetched) theories. Examining these theories, one can see how almost any event or idea can be viewed as a conspiracy, actual or imagined. This would be an excellent addition to academic and large public libraries. RBB
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Though dismissing conspiracy theories may be the rational response, the entries in these two volumes reveal how prevalent such theories, and actual conspiracies, have been in American life and the often dominant role they've played in national affairs. Among the entry topics are abortion, AIDS, Area 51, the Bay of Pigs invasion, fluoridation, the Fugitive Slave Act, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Thomas Pynchon, the Red Scare, the Salem witch trials, the Weathermen, and yellow journalism. Each entry is signed and includes cross-references and a list of bibliography. A significant part of the set is devoted to c.100 primary source documents in the appendix, meant as a supplement to the 1971 work by David Brion Davis, The Fear of Conspiracy; Images of Un-American Subversion.... The entries were written by academics and some independent scholars, who are based mainly in the US and the UK. Knight teaches American studies at the U. of Manchester in the UK. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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