The Oxford Companion to United States History is a one-volume, alphabetically arranged encyclopedia offering comprehensive coverage of the field for pre-contact Native Americans to the end of the twentieth century. The volume's first aim will be to serve as trustworthy guide to the basics of American history: correct and clearly presented facts, and thorough and extensive coverage of the political, diplomatic, and military "core" of American history. Users will find the key figures in various fields of endeavour, the central events that represent defining moments in our past, and the principal court decisions that have shaped our Constitutional history. Beyond this essential beginning point, the volume will incorporate the fruits of the last quarter-century of scholarship in the field, with its heightened focus on social history and its widened social and cultural perspectives on traditional political, diplomatic, and military topics. Other areas to be given central and informed attention are science and technology; popular culture, mass culture, and sports; the arts; and religion.

About the Author
Paul S. Boyer is Merle Curti Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has made it a professional priority to bring knowledge of the field of history to an audience of interested nonspecialists. Recently, he appeared as one of the commentators on the PBS Frontline special "Apocalypse!".

Reviews
"An extraordinary single-volume compendium of 1400 entries on U.S. history with the assistance of more than 900 contributors, including many well-recognized scholars. This edition is not only a resource on history itself but a measure of how the discipline has changed over the past generation... With numerous cross references and an extensive index, the entries are highly readable, and most have a short bibliography.... An excellent selection for both public and academic libraries. Highly recommended."-- ibrary Journal " A must read,"--Today's Books " "Every library should have at least one up-to-date, single-volume reference companion to U.S. history. Considering its prestigious Oxford University Press parentage and its reasonalbe price, this one will be hard to beat...Highly recommended."--Booklist "Marked by clear writing and thought-provoking, supported analysis...Recommended."--The Virginian-Pilot "An addictive collection of essays..."--Times Literary Supplement "The best single-volume reference work available on the subject."--American Reference Book Annual 2002



Book Information
ISBN 9780195082098
Author Paul S. Boyer
Format Hardback
Page Count 984
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 1526g
Dimensions(mm) 261mm * 192mm * 59mm