The Oxford Companion to United States History

Most of the entries are detailed and informative, as well as fair and balanced, even on controversial subjects. The articles on "Protestantism" and "Revivalism" are excellent, befitting their distinguished authors, Martin Marty and Edith Blumhofer, respectively. (Unlike some dictionaries and encyclopedias, all entries are signed, instead of initialed or attributed to the staff and editors collectively.) An occasional exception would be articles such as the hagiographic piece on "Margaret Sanger." At least its author is willing to include "Eugenics" as a cross reference. (Unfortunately, there is no reciprocal cross reference in the "Eugenics" entry.) Sanger's work alongside the eugenics movement is whitewashed as a "pragmatic alliance." This is no more credible than a claim by liberal German Protestants that they emerged guiltless from WW II since their alliance with the Nazis was merely "pragmatic." In contrast, a true example of a pragmatic alliance from that era is the U.S. and Russia--we acted on different military fronts, and are not stained by the atrocities of Soviet commissars and the punishment regiments that raped and plundered eastern Germany. In contrast, Sanger and Planned Parenthood are forever linked with the abortion of lower class babies and children of color, which continues unapologetically today. http://www.blackgenocide.org/sanger.html

While by no means a comprehensive review of American history, it is an essential book for any personal library. Entries are detailed and get straight to the point. If you want to know more about someone or something of historical significance without having to read an entire book on it, this is the route to go. As a college student, I have the book nearby at all times. When reading a book, if there is something I do not know much about, I simply look it up in this book instead of the usual sources of information for a college student (i.e. wikipedia). Instead of having to shift through pages of wikipedia materials and wonder if the information is accurate, I get an authoritative summary in less than 5 minutes. I would recommend this reference book to everyone. History aficionados will not be disappointed with watered down entries; the general reader with little background in American history will not be overwhelmed.

This volume contains entries that deal with concepts, events, persons, and movements in u.s. history. The length of the entries is appropriate to the topic considered. In addition, the entires both inform the reader with up-to-date information and indicate how revisionist historians have resahped opionions or refocused the discipline. The entries are clearly written and eminently readable. They are persuasive in thier opionions, yet respectful of other stances. The cross references are helpful and ample. The same obtains for the bibliographies. The Oxford Companion to U.S. History far surpasses some other contemporary dictionaries in U.S. history. Its articles are treated in more depth and greater nuances. The entries in the other dictionaries are too short and far too superficial. I would highly recommend this for people involved in serious historical study and research.

This book is a must have for anyone with an interest in American History. It gives a clear, concise explanation on most important aspects of the United States history and the history of the lands that would eventually become the United States. The most unique aspect of this book is that, unlike a school textbook, it explains a topics role throughout the history of the United States in on section. In other words, if you looked up Civil Rights, you would find a history of Civil Rights in America from the colonial period to present. All the background information you would need would be in one place, not scattered throughout the book. This is beneficial for teachers who need to quickly find some basic information to answer a student's question, or for a student who needs to quickly brush up on a topic. This is a work that I will definetly use for years to come.