Guinness Compact Encyclopedia - Hardcover

The unique feature of the Guinness encyclopedias is that the information is presented in topics, spread by spread. Thus the reader wanting to understand some particular concept or fact is not given a highly compressed entry with the consequent need to zigzag through the book following up other references. Instead, each fact is presented as part of a spread-long essay that gives the full story of the topic in a comprehensible and accessible form. Written by over 130 expert contributors, "The Guinness Compact Encyclopedia" is divided into 12 sections, covering the sciences, the arts, technology, history, religion and philosophy, and the arts. The final section is an account of each country of the world, giving a geographical, political and historical portrait. The thematic spreads into which each section is subdivided are illustrated with photographs and drawings that further develop and illuminate the subject. "See also" lists at the end of each spread provide a network of information by referring the reader on to other, related topics. A detailed index provides the starting point for readers wanting to access a particular term. The book is fully up to date with both the latest scientific developments and the major political events of the 90s so far. Its spread-by-spread approach makes it equally useful for children doing topic work at school, for students wanting a reliable guide to subjects contingent to their studies and for business people wanting a quick guide to a country or political theory, while its highly accessible style and its comprehensiveness make it the ideal low-price reference book for the home.