Review by Choice Review
In this slim volume, Geiter (independent scholar) and Speck (emer., history, Univ. of Leeds) have produced a reference tool that reflects the recent trend in historiography toward an Atlantic worldview,
Review by Choice Review
In this slim volume, Geiter (independent scholar) and Speck (emer., history, Univ. of Leeds) have produced a reference tool that reflects the recent trend in historiography toward an Atlantic worldview, an interpretation that emphasizes a comparative approach towards the early modern history of Europe, the Americas, and Africa. The more than 300 entries in this work concern, in particular, England and the Americas. In many respects, this volume is very much like earlier reference works for the same historical period. The Encyclopedia of Colonial and Revolutionary America, ed. by John Mack Faragher (CH, Jul'90, 27-6112), treats many of the same topics, with little difference in the factual information presented. Furthermore, Faragher's volume is more comprehensive if one's interest is North America. Geiter and Speck's work, however, distinguishes itself by its inclusion of British figures who factored significantly in the history of the colonies, and by its more critical interpretation of events like the War for American Independence, the Stamp Act, and the Boston Tea Party. While not the definitive reference tool, this work is a useful and welcome companion to earlier volumes that may not have been updated to reflect new scholarship. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. L. K. Speer Southeast Missouri State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.