The Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History

Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York, £310
Publication Date: 2007

This impressive, perhaps definitive, work encompasses just about everything that could be defined under the term maritime history. The editor argues in his erudite introduction that whereas maritime history was previously somewhat compartmentalised, with limited cross-fertilisation of ideas, historians are nowadays taking a much broader, more inclusive approach - which is what gives this work its raison d’être. The four volumes, containing over 900 entries, have all the advantages of an encyclopedia, in that they can accommodate more than 400 contributors from around the world while making it simple for the reader to find a specific subject within the A-Z format. On the down side, an inevitable lack of cross-referencing – inevitable, because it would be impossible to impose on so diverse a subject matter – does not always make it easy for the reader to link the contents of one entry with those of another. However, some cross-referencing, a really good index, and a topical outline at the end of the final volume – that shows how the articles relate to one another and to the encyclopedia’s overall design – certainly helps. Perhaps there should have been more ‘blind entries’. These the editor defines as ‘directing the user from an alternate form of an entry term to the appropriate article. For example, the blind entry “Admiral’s Cup” tells the reader to see “Yachting and Pleasure Sailing”. That said, this is a reference work of the highest quality that has been thoroughly thought through and meticulously presented. There are numerous illustrations and maps, detailed bibliographies, and a directory of contributors. - ID