The new volume of this bibliographic yearbook follows the arrangements used for its predecessors. Divided into sections on anthropology, art, economics, education, geography, government and international relations (now merged), history, labor and social welfare, language, law, literature, music, philosophy, and sociology, the Handbook lists about 3800 entries selected from more than 35,000 available items, among them those appearing in 550 periodicals. The selection is made following practices this time stated in the editor’s note (p. xi), taking into consideration, among other factors, the length of the item, the need of balancing each section, and, in matters politic, aiming at the best means of conveying understanding.
These practices have shown their merits in the product. Items, well selected and arranged, include not only books but also articles in periodicals, both in various languages and from various countries. The only exception is the section on law where the selection is limited to important books; additional data will have to be gathered from the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (1960-), or from legal bibliographies available in book form, domestic and foreign. Annotations are meaty, avoiding clichés by offering concise summaries accompanied by critical evaluations. Indices by subject and author are carefully compiled and supplemented by a list of periodicals by title with abbreviation and classification added.
A few critical remarks from a purely bibliographic standpoint might be in order. First, it may be doubtful that the placing of abbreviations of periodicals at the end of each section has in fact “proven helpful” (p. xiii). Second, the system of abbrevations adopted for periodicals has, as admitted, serious “limitations and imperfections” (p. xiii). If, for example, the American Anthropologist is to be found under CBAAA/A, or The Americas suspected under AAFM/TAM, then there must be a better way to do it, maybe by looking for less cabalistic signs. One such method would be to abbreviate titles by using their initials and adding a number under which titles would be listed under the same initials. Using this method, American Anthropologist would become A 11, and The Americas simply A 18, with the publishing institutions added in the same index.
All such suggestions are, of course, debatable. But as to the Handbook, there can be no doubt that the group of competent volunteers directed by the efficient editorial staff have again produced an outstanding bibliographic work unparalleled in the field of Latin American Studies.
