The Underground Railroad : an encyclopedia of people, places, and operations /

Writer, researcher, and educator Snodgrass (Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature, CH, Nov'06, 44-1266) has compiled an important and extensively researched encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad. Beginning with a concise, informative general introduction, this ambitious two-volume set neatly identifies the key people, places, documents, organizations, and publications of the Underground Railroad movement, along with significant actions, events, and ideas underlying it in the US and Canada. Offering photographs, bookplates, sketches, and handbills, the set is visually attractive. The entries are clearly marked and easily navigated; many are followed by a see also reference and a source list. Outstanding features of the encyclopedia include maps of the routes and stops along the Underground Railroad, charts of antislavery newspapers, Maroon settlements, quilt pattern codes, code terms, and designations. Especially useful are the supplementary materials found at the end of volume 2: an Underground Railroad time line spanning 1746-1865; genealogies for 72 families involved in the movement; a list of the major passengers, organized by state/province, including their destinations; a list of the operatives, grouped by state or province, often identified by religious association; a full, extensive bibliography of both primary and secondary sources; and a comprehensive index. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels. C. Fuchs Mina Rees Library/CUNY Graduate Center

*Starred Review* These volumes cover all aspects of the Underground Railroad, with astounding depth and detail. Snodgrass, a freelance author and researcher, clearly knows (and loves) her topic, evident in the nearly 1,500 individual entries. Entries cover people, places, and events, with biographical entries the most common. They range from a few paragraphs to a few pages for the most active individuals.  Modeling best practices in reference publications, every entry has see also references and a source list. Black-and-white photos often accompany the biographical entries, and occasional images for the topical entries, such as the reproduction of a Massachusetts abolitionist poster denouncing the Fugitive Slave Law, greatly enhance the work. The high quality and detailed subject entries alone are enough to make this work highly recommended; the additional materials make the work outstanding. Six maps at the beginning of volume 1 set the stage for the entries, with details about routes, stops, and land and sea escape and crossing points. Volume 2 includes an excellent and detailed chronology, primary and secondary source bibliographies, and three appendixes. The first appendix, a set of genealogies for all the major players in the Underground Railroad, greatly adds to the readers' understanding of the complex relationships between some of the key families. The second appendix is a complete list of all the known and suspected passengers ever to travel the Underground Railroad, organized by state. The hundreds of names on the list also include their departure and arrival points (when known) and date of flight. The third appendix lists all the known or suspected operators by their state and province, including dates of operation, birth, and death. Volume 2 concludes with a comprehensive index. With the Underground Railroad a popular school-paper topic, this is highly recommended for public libraries and school libraries, especially those not already owning Encyclopedia of the Underground Railroad (McFarland, 2006). The high quality and scholarly depth make this reference book an essential purchase for all academic libraries. Consider circulating it to scholars who will benefit from the meticulous research and copious references.--Moyer, Jessica Copyright 2008 Booklist

This meticulously researched set uncovers the purposefully secretive network of figures, families, routes, events, and concepts related to slave liberation. Snodgrass (Encyclopedia of Southern Literature) includes detailed passage maps and several valuable appendixes, a 120-year chronology, condensed genealogical histories of participating families, specific passenger data, and a list of Canadian and American conductors. The more than 1500 A-to-Z entries each span between several paragraphs and, in the case of broader concepts, several pages in length. For American and African American history collection.--Savannah Schroll-Guz, formerly with Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 6 Up-Entries on people are listed in alphabetical order by individual or family, and include birth and death dates, if known. They describe the individuals' roles in the Underground Railroad, and their accomplishments, locations, and connections. A few of these biographies (Harriet Tubman, philanthropists Levi and Catherine White Coffin) and topics (Oberlin College, disguise) are slightly more than a page, though most articles range in length from less than one third of a column to a full column. Highlighted information (usually quotes, with annotations, related to the text) is placed in gray boxes. Every article concludes with at least one source, and some have a cross-reference. Both volumes include the same set of seven gray-toned maps that show routes to freedom, escape and arrival points, and settlements. The layout permits easy use with two columns of text per page surrounded by margins that help the page to appear spacious. Illustrations include reproductions of early black-and-white photos, political cartoons, newspaper articles, and posters. The second half of volume two is devoted to a chronology from 1746 to 1865; family trees; state-by-state listings of operatives and known passengers, including their dates of flight, places of escape, and destinations; primary- and secondary-source bibliographies; and an extensive index. This set adds names and faces to a long-neglected segment of U.S. history. A first choice.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.