Full Text Review(s)
"Building on the successful and widely held first edition (1996), this expanded and improved second edition of a set intended for grade 7 and up does not disappoint. The first 12 144-page volumes are a continuously paginated collection of one-to-five-page entries on a wide variety of topics. Some 78 new entries bring the total to 481, and the number of volumes has grown from 11 to 13, with volume 13 containing multiple indexes.

Each signed entry is supplemented by useful sidebars addressing relationships and concepts beyond the main essay. Categories of sidebars are color coded-for example, pink indicates evolutionary history, and purple means "Science and Society" (aspects of the topic that affect public life). All entries include cross-references to other entries and a short list of further reading. Each volume ends with its own brief index, a new feature. As in the first edition, entries range from the very general (e.g., Atmosphere and Ecology and Ecosystems) to the very specific (e.g., Cats and Ears), but given the intended audience, nothing seems particularly out of place. In fact, by encompassing public health topics with entries on abortion and the common cold, animals and plants, and large questions of environment and technology, this encyclopedia has something for everyone in the targeted audience. Welcome additions are the 23 new entries about the lives and work of individuals, among them Rachel Carson, Dian Fossey, Carolus Linnaeus, and James Watson and Francis Crick. The repeated entries from the first edition are largely unchanged.

Although academic libraries will be better served by higher-level academic treatments such as those found in Nature’s Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (2002), this set is highly recommended for public and school libraries."

With an attractive spatial layout and lots of colorful illustrations, this revised encyclopedia will quickly grab the attention of students browsing for life sciences topics. The alphabetically arranged articles are relatively short, ranging from one page to six or seven for major topics like DNA. The introductory paragraphs of each article define the topic, and within each entry a "Connections" box relates the topic to other areas of science and other entries within the encyclopedia. Longer articles have additional sidebar features such as "Core Facts," "A Closer Look," "At Risk," and "Evolution," which enrich the entries with thought-provoking information. Easy, clear access to materials in an encyclopedia is always an issue and this set does a good job of providing that. The first volume contains a table of contents for all volumes and a thematic outline of contents by science area. The last volume begins with a glossary; an extensive bibliography arranged by subject; and a listing of other resources like magazines, museums, and Web sites. There are also two types of indexes in the final volume: by science subject (anatomy, botany, biochemistry) and a comprehensive index. Additionally each individual volume has its own index. The wide-range of subjects covered and the visually appealing nature of this set make it a good choice for an introductory reference on a variety of life science topics. Recommended."