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Current Biography International Yearbook
2002
Reference Reviews,
October 2003
Lawrence Looks at
Books, April 2003
Current Biography Yearbook 2002 Review
Reference
Reviews, October 2003
Wisconsin Bookwatch, June 2003
Current Biography
International Yearbook 2002
Review
from: Reference
Reviews, October 2003
A new entry in the H.W. Wilson
line, this volume focuses exclusively on people in the international
arena. As with the other Wilson Yearbooks, the 200 biographies
average about 2,500 words in length, have photographs of the people being
described, statistics, observations of journalists and a bibliography.
Persons are also classified by profession. A tried-and-true format, it
allows a broad view of the world that was not possible in its companion, Current
Biography. It will be of interest in your reference collection for
high school teachers who focus on current events.
Review from:
Lawrence Looks at
Books, April 2003
Building on the success of the long-running
Current Biography Yearbook, H. W. Wilson has introduced a new
annual focusing on newsmakers outside of the United States. In a fashion
similar to the original, Current Biography International Yearbook
details the lives of 200 celebrities from all walks of life. Activists,
artists, businessmen, conservationists, writers, musicians, athletes and
scientists are surveyed. Activist Vandana Shiva, Canon President Fujio
Mitarai, actress Emmanuelle Béart, author Gabriel García Márquez,
explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and Australian runner Cathy Freeman are among
those featured. This inaugural guide is particularly strong on political
biographies, with sketches of Yasir Arafat, Queen Elizabeth II, Paul
Kagame, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, Vladimir Putin, Ariel Sharon and
Desmond Tutu. The entries provide pronunciation guides for the
individual's name, mailing addresses, detailed biographies that are often
based on interviews or published writings, and suggested readings. This
new guide matches the quality of the original in every way and will
increase the depth of biographical collections.
How does the new companion volume affect
the content of the original Current Biography Yearbook? Well, this
year's edition is perhaps a little less cosmopolitan -- fewer than 10
percent of the entries feature foreign nationals. Some, like film director
Peter Jackson, Japanese slugger Ichiro Suzuki, opera singer Olga Borodina,
and tennis stars Anna Kournikova and Lleyton Hewitt, have enjoyed some
success in the United States. Others, like the newly elected President of
Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and Nobel Prize-winning writer José Saramago,
are enjoying particular prominence of late. As usual, the 205 entries
feature a pleasantly surprising mix of newcomers and established figures.
For instance, the selection includes Michael Bloomberg, Hillary Rodham
Clinton, David Letterman, "Dr. Phil" McGraw, George Lucas and
Tom Brokaw, as well as anthropologists Sherry Ortner and Olga Soffa and
musical groups Creed and Fugazi. Ann Landers, Alan Lomax, Rosemary
Clooney, Lionel Hampton and Billy Wilder are among the 136 obituaries
noted this year. Although the pictures are occasionally muddied, Current
Biography Yearbook remains an excellent resource for finding
substantial biographies of prominent people.
Current Biography Yearbook 2002 Review
Review
from: Reference
Reviews, October 2003
After 70 years of publishing,
there are no new surprises in this volume. Its inclusion in this list is
to remind any new school librarians that this is a must-have reference for
students looking for accurate and well-documented biographical profiles.
Each biography is about 2,500 words in length and includes biographical
statistics and observations of journalists and other associates.
Bibliographies at the end of the articles provide additional places to
look. As a school librarian, my students appreciated the addresses for
most entries. Entries also have a photograph of each of the 205 persons
profiled. The back of the volume lists 136 obituaries, as well as an index
of classification by profession. Highly recommended.
Review from:
Wisconsin
Bookwatch, June 2003
Current Biography Yearbook
2002 with Index 2001-2002 is a
solid collection of biographical sketches of notable people from all walks
of life, from politicians to actresses to anthropologists, children’s
writers, golfers, and more. A black-and-white photograph of each featured
individual along with a concise yet information-packed summary of his or
her life makes for a first rate, at-one’s-fingertips reference for a
cross-section of the best and the brightest of 2002.
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