Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War

This authoritative encyclopedia separates the facts of America's longest war from the polemics that obscured them. It is an invaluable look at the people, places, events, and ideas - both on the battlefield and on the home front - of this confusing and contentious period. Readers will appreciate the even-handed treatment of the war that shaped and continues to shape America at the end of the twentieth century. Its 564 articles, 210 illustrations, and 13 maps provide the essential details about figures great and small - from Lyndon Johnson and Ho Chi Minh to the people in Vietnam's cities and countryside and the soldiers of all sides who fought and died in Southeast Asia. Ten long essays delve into major themes such as the war's effects on the United States and Vietnam, the land and peoples of Vietnam, and the French colonial era.

The lack of a truly comprehensive encyclopedia on the Vietnam War has long been a problem for reference staff in academic, public, and school libraries. While a definitive work must necessarily await the opening of Vietnamese archives and the translation of North and South Vietnamese documents and memoirs, Kutler (American Retrospectives, Johns Hopkins Univ., 1995) and his colleagues have presented librarians and scholars with an outstanding single-volume handbook on the history and personalities of the conflict. Organized in the traditional manner of alphabetical entries of individuals, places, and events, this work merits special mention for the critical nature of the writing and the inclusion of ten authoritative essays on political, social, and military aspects of the period (e.g., the antiwar movement, art and literature, and colonialism). The volume is not limited to the American experience in Vietnam but adds to our knowledge through extensive descriptions of the leading Vietnamese participants and issues. This fact alone represents a break with most previous Vietnam War literature. Essential for any academic or public library with holdings on the Vietnam War. John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y. Copyright 1998 Library Journal Reviews