The Encyclopedia of World War I: A Political, Social, and Military History. Vols. 1-5 (review)

In addition to biographical and historical dictionaries, a number of World War I encyclopedias have recently been published. They include The European Powers in the First World War: An Encyclopedia (1996) by Spencer C. Tucker, and The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia (1995) by Anne Cipriano Venzon. Although somewhat dated, pride of place for the most complete World War I encyclopedia still belongs to the twelve-volume Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of World War I which was published in cooperation with the Imperial War Museum in 1984. Its 3,600 pages of text and over 5,000 illustrations will probably never be surpassed. It also remains a reader-friendly encyclopedia with its popular style and lavish illustrations.

The encyclopedia under review here, however, deserves a prominent place on library shelves alongside other reference sources on the Great War. Its 175 contributors, which include scholars from Europe, Asia, the United States, and Australia, concentrate on the causes, course, and consequences of the war. The coverage ranges far beyond generals, leading politicians, and battles. Critical events, leading personalities from many fields, treaties, social issues, race, literature, art, weapons, and tactics are just some of the subjects included. The 1,200 entries, arranged alphabetically, begin with the Battle of Aa (the most successful operation by the Tsarist Army during the first half of 1917) and end with Zionism. Entries are cross-referenced and include a brief section of works consulted that reflect current scholarship. The carefully selected photographs, chosen from a variety of sources that include the U.S. National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis, and Ridpath's History of the World, add to the value of the text. Excellent maps, placed at the beginning of volumes 1 through 4, further enhance the work.

This encyclopedia has two unusual features. First, volume five is a collection of over 200 official documents. One can read in full Woodrow Wilson's famous War Message to Congress, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and the Balfour Declaration, among others. Of interest also are such documents as a German propaganda flyer, "To the Colored Soldiers of the U.S. Army," and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig's "Backs to the Wall" special order of 11 April 1918. These judiciously selected documents should be an invaluable teaching tool. Second, there are ten essays on controversial topics such as "Lusitania, A Legitimate Target?," "The Battle of Jutland, Wasted Opportunities?," and "The Dardanelles, Opportunity or Preordained Failure?" These essays on some of the major controversies of the war have great possibilities. But the result is disappointing. Why just ten essays? And why are these essays only four or five paragraphs in length? Such brevity limits the effectiveness of this attempt to engage students in some of the important war related controversies. But this is a minor quibble. The Encyclopedia of World War I is highly recommended for both university and high school libraries.