Reading about the environment : an introductory guide /

Although compiled as a guide to current "books and articles readily available and understandable to the general public," this bibliography will disappoint readers seeking recent material, since many of the items are more than 15 years old. Some of these are classics such as Silent Spring, but others seem to have been included for no good reason. The author describes a 1972 work by George Laycock, Water Pollution, as "simplistic and outdated." She then flags this questionable item as a useful introduction and recommends it for children. The assertion that these works can be found in most public libraries is equally misleading. Twelve percent of the entries in the chapter entitled "Water Pollution" were published by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences and are held by only a handful of research libraries. Academic and public libraries should consider instead the excellent Island Press Bibliography of Environmental Literature (CH, Nov'93) which is more comprehensive and less idiosyncratic. Not recommended. L. B. Ross; University of Vermont

The concerned citizen, whether student, executive, homemaker, or union member, who wants to save the planet may be overwhelmed by the vast array of information on environmental problems. Two new annotated bibliographies will enable them to find specific environmental information quickly. The Island Press Bibliography of Environmental Literature lists over 3000 books, monographs, journals, and government reports organized by subject areas such as water, air, land, animals, and law. Each section is introduced by cross references to related sections. The annotations are brief--one to four sentences--yet give very concise information. Most references are to materials in the 1980s, with a few as recent as 1990, and two indexes listing author/title and subject are very thorough. Reading About the Environment encompasses 800 entries from books and popular magazine articles. Sixteen chapters focus on such topics as acid rain, water pollution, toxic waste, pesticides, and visual pollution. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay on the specific issue. Annotations ranging from three sentences to two paragraphs discuss the scope, usefulness, and reading level of the material. An interesting feature is the highlighting of noteworthy entries based on the overview they provide and the scholarly and factual treatment of the material. An excellent author/title and separate subject index accompany the source. There is very little overlap between these books since they are aimed at different levels of readership. The Island Press Bibliography is aimed at academic and research libraries. Reading About the Environment , though a bit outdated in some subjects, should be purchased by public, high school, and college libraries.-- Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.