Book Description

This is a meat-and-potatoes reference work, garnished only with a brief preface, a one-page bibliography, and an index. The text is organized by day of the month, listing in chronological order events that occurred in American history. This logical layout will make the book easy to use for librarians and patrons alike. Entries are written in a telegraphic, curt style that in some cases may require clarification. The 70-page index is useful but flawed, lacking comprehensiveness and containing some incorrect citations. The Encyclopedia of American Facts & Dates (HarperCollins, 1987. 8th ed.), while less current, is more thorough and better indexed, for less money. Recommended, with reservations, as a secondary source for public and school libraries.-- James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich. - Library Journal.