American Studies

Entries from previous editions have been updated and revised in light of historical developments and current scholarship, with more than 800 new entries that cover recent events and topics not covered previously. For the first time, illustrations and maps are incorporated into the main body of the work; a collection of primary source documents appears in Volume 9.

This set treats the whole of American literature, from the European discovery of America to the present, with entries in alphabetical order. Each of the 350 substantive essays is a major interpretive contribution. Well-known critics and scholars provide clear and vividly written essays that reflect the latest scholarship on a given topic, as well as original thinking on the part of the critic.

First published in 1984, Gerald Bordman's Oxford Companion to American Theatre is the standard one-volume source on our national theatre. Completely updated by theater professor Thomas Hischak, the volume includes playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, and much more. Accessible and authoritative, this valuable A-Z reference is ideal not only for students and scholars of theater, but everyone with a passion for the stage.

This Companion offers a one-volume, alphabetically arranged encyclopedia introducing the main lines of American law, from the institutions, people, events, and cases to the doctrines and concepts. Produced under the editorship of a board of five noted scholars, headed by Kermit L. Hall, it comprises of approximately 500 entries, each written by an expert in the field. The book targets a broad and diverse audience, one that ranges from students studying comparative (including American) law to lawyers or judges actively involved in the practice of law.

The two-volume Oxford Companion to American Politics is the first reference work to provide detailed, in-depth coverage of all aspects of American Politics. Top scholars of American Politics have written entries that surpass all previous reference material on the subject and provide scholars and students with ready access to sophisticated, comprehensive material. Long entries form the core of the book, covering such topics as climate change, terrorism, welfare policies, nuclear proliferation, voting behavior, and think tanks. Each of these entries include high-level scrutiny of the literature, history and future of the topic.

The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art is an ambitious publishing endeavor, unparalleled in its comprehensive approach to the study of art in the United States. Edited by Joan Marter, Distinguished Professor of Art History at Rutgers University, the five-volume Encyclopedia reconceptualizes American Art from the vantage point of the twenty-first century with a new methodological approach and broader scope than any such work published to date. The project takes a fresh look at what American art is, how it is defined, and who influenced it and produced it, and it offers a new foundation for scholarship for decades to come.

Contains about 660 alphabetically arranged articles in which specialists and scholars examine topics related to American studies, providing diverse perspectives on American history, culture, and society, and includes a comprehensive index.