Encyclopedia Of Historical Treaties And Alliance - Hardcover

Alan Axelrod PhD is the author or co-author of numerous books, including the Encyclopedia of the American West, Patton on Leadership, Facts On File's Dictators and Tyrants, and the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Wars. Charles L. Phillips is the author or co-author of numerous works on history and culture, including My Brother's Face: Portraits of the Civil War, What Every American Should Know About American History, and Encyclopedia of Wars (forthcoming from Facts On File).

The first edition of this work, which was published in 2001 and had coverage to 1997, was recommended for any library serving history researchers. The new edition has added a number of treaties that missed the cutoff in the earlier edition plus new agreements in the rapidly changing, transnational world of terror, human trafficking, and other challenges.

Arrangement is generally historical by era, with 15 chapters covering, for example, "Epoch of Napoleon" and "Cold War, Peaceful Coexistence." Each chapter begins with an introduction and then is arranged by type of agreement, such as diplomatic treaties, multinational conventions, or proclamations. A boxed "Treaty at a Glance" introduces each of the 220 documents that are discussed and includes the dates and signatories. Objective, clearly written narratives cover the history leading up to the agreements as well as their significance and consequences. The full text of the documents is not usually supplied unless it is very short, but enough of the wording is given for users to gain an accurate feeling of the whole. The location of the full documents, whether in print or on a Web site, is noted.

Among the documents are the Louisiana Purchase, agreements between the U.S and Native Americans, secret treaties and annexes, the full text of a terrorist organization covenant, and protocols on climate change and the remnants of war. Although the work begins in ancient Mesopotamia, the bulk of the documents cover the last few centuries. The agreements are current in text through 2003 and in narrative to the summer of 2005, including information on those that are not yet in force or the U.S. has not signed. Access is enhanced by an alphabetical list at the front of the set, a chronological list at the end, an accurate index, and cross-references. The encyclopedia also contains an extensive bibliography.

The six-volume Major Peace Treaties of Modern History, 1648-2000 (Chelsea House, 2002) does include the full texts but is clearly aimed at academic libraries. Encyclopedia of Historical Treaties and Alliances will be very useful for general public use. Arthur Meyers
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