As editor of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Clayborne Carson, with the assistance of his staff at Stanford's Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, had complete access to the papers of Dr. King. From their unique familiarity with these invaluable materials they have compiled an encyclopedia offering a fresh and exciting look at all aspects of Dr. King's life and career. Carefully selected excerpts from letters, sermons, speeches, and other writings give readers insights into Dr. King and the civil rights movement that are unavailable in other reference works on the subject. Scholars, students, and interested nonspecialists will all find the encyclopedia's 280 entries both informative and engaging. Alphabetically arranged, each entry concludes with a list of sources, both primary and secondary, upon which it is based. The entries cover all facets of Dr. King's life and career, including the following members of his family: BLhis wife, Coretta Scott King BLhis father, Martin Luther King, Sr. BLhis mother, Alberta Williams King BLhis brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King

and all four of his children His many friends and associates in the movement: BLRalph David Abernathy BLMaya Angelou BLSammy Davis Jr. BLMedgar Evers BLDick Gregory BLBenjamin Hooks BLJames Meredith BLAndrew Young His campaigns and marches: BLBirmingham Campaign BLChicago Campaign BLMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedom BLMemphis Sanitation Workers Strike BLMongomery Bus Boycott BLOperation Breadbasket And the many organizations he led or interacted with: BLCongress of Racial Equality BLMontgomery Improvement Association BLNational Conference on Religion and Race BLSouthern Christian Leadership Conference BLStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Other entries discuss the churches he pastored, the dissertation he wrote, the trips he took to India and Ghana, the books he published, the speeches he delivered, the Nobel Prize he won, the presidents and other national figures he knew, and his chief opponents and critics. The encyclopedia also offers a detailed chronology of Dr. King's life, a selected bibliography of important seconday sources, and a detailed Introduction putting Dr. King's career in context with its times, a Guide to Related Topics, and a detailed subject index.

Carson, founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, provides a reference for students, teachers, researchers, and general readers in high school and up. Based on the extensive historical research originally conducted by the staff of the Institute's Papers Project to produce annotations for the published volumes of King's papers, the encyclopedia draws heavily on the Papers Project's vast collection of primary source documents related to King and the movement he inspired. Quotations from these documents are included in many entries. The encyclopedia begins with a chronology, followed by a short narrative introduction. The entries give information on African American leaders, members of King's family and his personal and professional associates, theological and political sources of influence, celebrities who supported his protest campaigns, and political allies and opponents. Major events in King's life also have their own entries. The 285 entries are arranged alphabetically. Each entry is followed by a list of sources, which contains secondary literature and primary documents. B&w historical photos are included. Carson teaches history at Stanford University. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

There are many biographical works about the African American experience and this volume would be a good contribution to this area of research.ARBA Online

As editors of his personal papers on staff at the King Research and Education institute, Clayborne Carson and his colleagues have studied King's life at a level of detail matched by few others. Their guide begins with an overview of King's career and a brief chronology of his life. The 285 entries of the encyclopedia describe his relationships with family members, teachers, clerical colleaguues, civil rights activists, personal associates, politicians, labor leaders, and critics....[t]his excellent guide is highly recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries.Lawrence Looks at Books

[O]ffers scholars, students, and interested non-specialists more than 280 alphabetical entries on his life and the civil rights movement in general.Library Media Connection

This comprehensive alphabetical encyclopedia provides information on the people, places, organizations, and events that played a part in his life and times. Every article is cross-referenced, with entries explored in more depth eleswhere printed in bold type. For the researcher who requires more information or original or primary sources, source notes are included for each entry as well. There is also a "related topics" table, a sort of study guide, leading the researcher directly to such subjects as court cases and intellectual influences. This volume would be an excellent addition to reference collections on the civil rights movement or African-American history. Index. Recommended.Library Media Connection

[T]he staff that is editing King's papers has produced an encyclopedia to guide students and scholars through all aspects of his life and work. The single volume consists of 285 short essays ranging from three paragraphs to three pages. The largest number deal with people associated with King's public career....Major events that King participated in....constitute another important category. Oragnizations that King worked with...are covered. King's writings are referenced along with court cases in which he was involved. The volume also contains explanations of concepts (nonviolence, agape) that shaped King's thinking. Other helpful features include a brief introduction to King's career, a detailed chronology of his life, an extensive bibliography, and a topical index. Each entry incorporates abundant cross-references and a guide to source material. This well-edited work will be a valuable aid to anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of King's life.MultiCultural Review

As editor of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Clayborne Carson, with the assistance of his staff at Stanford's Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, had access to a variety of documents relating to all aspects of Dr. King's life and career. The encyclopedia provides readers with over 280 entries that offer fresh and engaging insights into Dr. King and the civil rights movement. From their unique familiarity with these materials, they have compiled an encyclopedia offering a fresh and exciting look at the work of Dr. King and the course of the civil rights movement.

Based upon the papers of Martin Luther King Jr., this encyclopedia provides fresh and revealing insights into Dr. King's life, work, family, associates, and opponents.

CLAYBORNE CARSON is professor of history at Stanford University, where he is also founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. His publications include In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s (1981), which won the OAH's Frederick Jackson Terner Award, and Malcolm X: The FBI File (1991). He also served as senior advisor for the award-winning PBS series on the civil rights movement, "Eyes on the Prize," and co-edited the Eyes on the Prize Reader (1991). In 1985, Coretta Scott King invited him to direct a long-term project to edit and publish The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition to these volumes, Dr. Carson has written or co-edited numerous other works based on the papers, including A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998) and The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998), compiled from King's autobiographical writings.TENISHA ARMSTRONG is associate director of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project. She holds an M.A. from Stanford University. A former King Summer Research Fellow, she joined the King Institute staff in 1998, and was the lead editor of Volume V: Threshold of a New Decade, January 1959-December 1960 of the Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.SUSAN CARSON is former managing editor of the King Institute. She holds an M.A. in Library Science from San Jose State University. She co-edited Volumes III-VI of the Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.. Carson retired in 2007.ERIN COOK is former associate director of the King Institute's Liberation Curriculum Initiative. She served as a teaching assistant for Professor Clayborne Carson's undergraduate course on the African-American freedom struggle and is currently teaching history at an independent high school in California.SUSAN ENGLANDER earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1999 and has been an editor at the Martin Luther Ing, Jr., Papers Project since 2001. She is the lead editor on Volume VI: Advocate of the Social Gospel, September 1948-March 1963 of the Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.