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Review from:
American Reference Books Annual 2006
There must be few librarians who are not familiar with
Wilson's venerable The Reference Shelf series, yet it is somewhat
of a misnomer to call it a reference source. A better description of the
series might be anthologies of short pieces providing current perspectives
on topics of general interest. A few of the selections in this volume
provide straightforward background on the Supreme Court and its history
(one from the Supreme Court itself and another from Findlaw.com [http://www.findlaw.com]),
but most are articles from magazines (e.g., The Nation, Newsweek, Atlantic
Monthly) and newspapers (e.g., Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer,
Washington Post). The text is divided into five sections: “Heritage and
History,” “Landmark Decisions,” “Current Issues,” “The Rehnquist Court,”
and “The Future of the Court.” While the articles present different
perspectives (e.g., on the legacy of Chief Justice Rehnquist), the tone
tends to be analytical rather than partisan even when addressing
hot-button issues such as abortion and affirmative action. The sources
date from the past few years, some as late as October 2005 (one such late
entry, on the nomination of Harriet Miers, has been rendered fairly
irrelevant by her subsequent withdrawal). Overall, this is a useful
collection that is appropriate for most high school, academic, and public
libraries. |
