A tradition of excellence continues with the long-awaited Tenth Edition of McGraw-Hill's "Encyclopedia of Science & Technology"<P>The definitive source for keeping up with the amazing changes in science and technology - complete with more than 1,700 new and updated articles<P>Featuring entries written by international leaders in science and technology selected by McGraw-Hill's distinguished board of consulting editors, no other reference so thoroughly and dynamically chronicles the expanding frontier, facts, and trends so vital to students, professionals, and general readers. For more than four decades, McGraw-Hill's "Encyclopedia of Science & Technology" has provided readers with the information they need in an understandable, authoritative way that invites critical inquiry and captures the imagination. There is truly nothing else like it and no library can be called complete without it.<P>Readers will find 7,000+ articles covering nearly 100 fields of science in this amazing 20 volume set. The new Tenth Edition features more than 1,700 new and updated articles, 12,000+ illustrations, and more than 5000 contributors - including 25 Nobel Prize winners. Also new to the Tenth Edition is a companion website that will provide selected updates to the "Encyclopedia" along with additional material such as special graphics and illustrations. <P>The logical organization of the 20 volumes, a 500 page analytical index, an extensive topic index, along with Study Guides, make finding information fast and easy.<P>Cutting-edge topics covered include: Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Cloning, Food Allergy, Genomics, Stem Cells, Cellular Automata, Computational Intelligence, Computer-Aided CircuitDesign, Voice-Over IP, Water Supply Engineering, Fossil Humans, Fossil Primates, and many, many more.

In many libraries, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology is the first source patrons consult when beginning background research on a scientific topic. Written by an outstanding international team of 500 subject experts, including 25 Nobel Prize winners, this encyclopedia is aimed at a nonspecialist audience. ... New to this edition is a free companion Web site [http://MHEST.com] that offers updates of a few critical articles. The strengths of this encyclopedia are authoritative content written at a level accessible to the student or layperson and the exceptionally broad range of topics from every field of modern science and technology. ... recommended for most high-school, academic, and public libraries.

Reviewer: Nancy Cannon

In the age of "Googling" and pervasive first-use of Wikipedia (CH, Mar'06), researchers need to have foundational reference works that reflect strict editorial policies. This encyclopedia (1st edition, 1960) has served librarians and students at all levels for nearly 50 years with lucid explanations of the components of modern science and technology. The more than 7,000 articles are authored or coauthored by approximately 5,300 individuals drawn chiefly from the US academic community, with representation from corporations and independent research institutions. On the short end are articles without illustration that run 600 words. Most concepts, however, run two to three times that length (and many significantly longer), and are supported by simple dichromatic diagrams, figures, equations, and charts. A bibliography of core books, conference papers, and peer-reviewed articles is appended to virtually all of these, and cross-references are inserted as needed. …

As expected, topics that are stable have changed little from the ninth edition (CH,Sep'02). Areas that are expanding greatly (such as the medically related fields), or areas with broadening applications (such as microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS), are given detailed treatment. The content is aimed at users with a serious need to build an understanding of the often-complex nature of a concept, organism, or process, and who are involved in an exercise of self-education. For those who need briefer explanations, one- and two-volume titles are available that might be preferable. A companion Web site will provide updates to this encyclopedia. Aswith earlier editions, the final volume is the analytical index. For libraries that do not provide online access through AccessScience (CH, Jan'08), this set is an essential investment. Although an older edition of some reference titles may be acceptable, in this instance the updates are significant enough to make the purchase advisable.Summing Up: Highly recommended.

Reviewer: J.M. Robson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology is the definitive resource for keeping up with the amazing advances in science and technology. Featuring entries written by international leaders in science and technology selected by our distinguished board of consulting editors, no other reference so thoroughly and dynamically chronicles the expanding frontier, facts, and trends so vital to students, professionals, and general readers. Readers will find 7,000+ articles covering nearly 100 fields of science in this amazing 20 volume set. The Tenth Edition features more than 1,700 new and updated articles, 12,000+ illustrations, and more than 5000 contributors - including 25 Nobel Prize winners.

More than 5,000 leading international scientists and engineers, including numerous Nobel Prize laureates, have contributed to this edition of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. All articles are invited upon recommendation by our distinguished board of consulting editors.