Reviews/Commentaries:

On Encyclopedias

From Library Journal
Dynes (author of Homosexuality: A Research Guide, LJ 5/15/87) has put together a superb reference tool. The encyclopedia contains 770 articles providing a broad range of information useful to both scholar and layperson. Coverage includes historical, medical, psychological, sociological, and transcultural and transgeographical information in biographical, topical, and thematic entries. A subject cross-reference guide begins the work. Biographies exclude living people, but they are often referred to in the text. The focus tends to be Western (because of the availability of information), but African, Eastern, and other groups are included. Variant viewpoints are discussed, and bibliographies (primarily covering book-length studies) are provided at the end of each article. Homosexuality is treated in the broad sense, including lesbianism, bisexuality, and homophobia. Most entries are readable at a high school level, but a few (e.g., "Social Construction," "Canon Law") require work and the use of a specialized dictionary. Highly recommended.
- Robert Aken, Univ. of Kentucky Libs., Lexington

Winner of 6 prizes:

The Laud Humphreys Prize
Choice
American Libraries
American Library Association
New York Public Library
Gay and Lesbian Task Force of the American Library Association