RR 2008/310 The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (4th edition)

摘要

It was once said that dictionaries, for all their apparent objectivity, really are the mirrors of societies that created them. The same might be said of dictionaries and encyclopedias of science and technology, and certainly of the fourth edition of this well-established reference work. Being mirrors, however, does not make them merely passive, and at best, as here, they can be skillful mediators of important ideas. The target market for this encyclopedia is "younger students and general readers", and the aim to provide them "with a foundation upon which to build an understanding of modern science". Topics "are carefully selected to present fundamental information in key areas across the science curriculum and to provide essential information for topics related to current events and issues" (Introduction).