Who's Who in Christianity (review)

According to the preface this work is intended as "an introduction to the lives and ideas of twelve hundred of the most prominent people in the history of the Christian Church." Although one may question why she omitted this person or that (e.g., Charbel Makhlouf of the Maronites, Charles Lwanga of Uganda), the author succeeds admirably in selecting "reference worthy" entries (Abelard to Zwingli) that present "a global perspective" both in regard to time and place. She has been less successful in compiling the glossary at the end of the work. The definitions are too succinct to be informative (e.g., "See. The area under the authority of a bishop"). Nonetheless, Who's Who in Christianity can be a useful book for the general reader who does not have ready access to encyclopedias, reference works, or the Internet.