Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Quakers) (review)

Book Reviews57 examples ofintrinsic Quaker values surfacing in the Irish book represent a break with his English volumes. In Ireland, as in America, the dominant signification of the term gallery was the facing bench area, not the balcony -like area (loft). Butler notes this and follows suit rather than using the term minister 's stand as in his English volumes. Second, Friends traditionally have not used the prefix saint in proper nouns, as that was usually inconsistent with the use of the word hagios in scripture. Whereas in his earlier work, Butler included entries under "St. Austell" (1:70) and "St. Helens" (1:337), neither being the name used by Friends, in this volume Butler describes the location of a Dublin burial ground as "Stephen's Green [usually with the prefix St, but not among Friends]." With the completion of this book, seven of the eight yearly meetings organized before 1800 have a printed inventory of meeting houses. New York YM remains as the architectural "black hole" of the ancient yearly meetings. These works vary in quality and thoroughness, but Butler's works in England and Ireland are first rate. Seth HinshawDowningtown, Pa. Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Quakers). Ed. by Margery Post Abbott, Mary Ellen Chijioke, Pink Dandelion, and John W. Oliver. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2003. 32 + 432 pp. Illustrations, appendixes, bibliography , and index. $80. Prior to this book's publication, there were few up-to-date resources for reference in the area of Quaker studies. For scholars looking for reference sources, improvisation has often been the order ofthe day. The Haverford College library, for example, possesses a "Dictionary of Quaker Biography " that is housed in over 100 bi nders. The initial volume states that it was begun under the editorship of William Bacon Evans a half-century ago. This mammoth work will probably never be published. Still, researchers sometimes wish that we could take it with us. Hurrah, a handy, accessible, and enlightening new resource has arrived, one that should be purchased by meeting, college, university, and public libraries! There are many remarkable aspects about this dictionary edited by four able and accomplished scholars. One is its scope. While it contains short biographies of Friends (and a few of friends of Friends), it is more than a dictionary of Quaker biography. One easily finds information on Quakers by region—"East Asia" and "Ireland," for example. There are entries on theological terms such as "salvation," "perfection," and the "Light." This book helps with Quaker organizational terms, such as "clerk" 58Quaker History and "preparative meeting." This book is also outstanding for its geographical and theological inclusiveness. Friends from all branches of the Society are well represented here. Biographical entries are not limited to the deceased; some notable living Quakers are also included. Authors ofentries are often noted authorities on their subject. A few examples: Patricia Loring has written on "Discernment, Spiritual"; Doug Gwyn on "Eschatology"; andHugh Barbour on "Puritanism." African and Latin American Friends are well represented here. Most entries on African Friends were written by the well-informed Esther Mombo. The entries in this HistoricalDictionary are both profound and concise. It includes an excellent apparatus, including charts on the origins and numbers of members of yearly meetings worldwide, and a thorough bibliography. I have two modest reservations. First, some entries are too concise. The entry on the "English Civil War" provides readers with some sense ofwhy that series of events from the 1640s was important for the genesis of Quakerism, but if one is curious about the principal events or the main actors, they will have to turn elsewhere for a blow-by blow account. A vague two-line entry on "Samuel Fisher," author of an important work of Quaker Biblical commentary, does little to catch Fisher's essence. While a few less entries might have provided more room for the rest; it is unrealistic to think that this reference work could have been much longer. Publishing economics probably cannot accommodate a multi-volume reference work on Quakers. Second, while most information is reliable, this work could have used more checking of facts. Fact checking is a tedious but significant task, because information from reference sources often gets reprinted...