Synopses & Reviews
The 1850s were a particularly fruitful and eventful period in American history, a time of unrest and preparation for change. This reference work provides a thorough record of the cultural happenings in America during that period. The volume is divided into several sections. It begins with a chronology that presents the events of the 1850s in capsule form year by year. A list of entries follows. The encyclopedia that comes after the list of entries contains brief, alphabetically arranged articles for performers, military personnel, theologians, composers, critics, educators, explorers, historians, industrialists, inventors, authors, artists, physicians, scientists, sculptors, and numerous events and creative works. A bibliography, divided into topical sections, directs the reader to the best sources of additional information. An appendix lists the biographical entries according to professional categories, and a detailed index adds to the usefulness of the volume.
Review
...Gale has captured the flavor of the decade in this collection of 437 entries on all aspects of the period between the Mexican and Civil wars. ...useful are collected entries for topics such as "first ladies," "historians," "presidential elections," and "sports." A useful starting point for further study of individuals and events of antebellum American.Choice
Synopsis
Provides a thorough record of this particularly fruitful and eventful period in American history.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [431]-438) and index.
About the Author
ROBERT L. GALE is Professor Emeritus of American Literature at the University of Pittsburgh.
Table of Contents
Preface
Chronology
List of Entries
The Encyclopedia
An Eighteen-Fifties Bibliography
Classified Appendix: Biographical Entries in Key Occupational and Professional Categories
Index