Reviews provided by Syndetics
CHOICE Review
Focusing on the societal context and impact of advances in science and technology, this is the first encyclopedia of broad scope to merge technical detail with "historical, cultural, economic and sociological aspects" of each topic. Numerous guides/handbooks for STS provide more research guidance but do not give comprehensive coverage (e.g., Handbook of Science and Technology Studies, ed. by Sheila Jasanoff et al., CH, Apr'95). Volti's encyclopedia will provide a useful initial reference for general readers and will sensitize students to the broader effects and the philosophical and political underpinnings of science and technology. About 900 entries, ranging in length from 500 words to two or three double-column entries, are written by the editor, others by contributors including many major STS scholars. The paucity of bibliographies for further study seriously limits the encyclopedia's value; most entries have none, others are limited to a single source. Such references as exist are collected in the bibliography in volume 3, but that idiosyncratic list ignores many major STS interdisciplinary studies. Besides inventions, products, processes, etc., concepts such as "normal accidents" and "spinoffs" are well covered, as is the dark side of science and technology, reflected in accidents and disasters (oil spills, the Challenger accident, and nuclear power accidents). Some major events that have shaped public views of science and technology are strangely absent (Love Canal; sustaining life by technical means--the Karen Ann Quinlan case). Popular culture seems overlooked. There is no entry related to science fiction or to amusement venues as promoters or implementers of new technologies--amusement parks or EPCOT--and while roller skates are included, roller coasters are not. Cheese appears but not hot dogs, frozen food but not fast food. Reprinting the entire index in each volume is very useful, especially for cross-references. The encyclopedia offers limited factual information and sets a basic interdisciplinary context for science and technology issues, but it is better suited for public libraries and secondary education than for colleges. It does not substitute for issue- or discipline-specific encyclopedias that cover such STS topics as the environment, business, and medical ethics. J. A. Adams-Volpe; SUNY at Buffalo
Booklist Review
In 900 alphabetically arranged entries, this title aims to be "a presentation of the social settings in which science and technology have emerged, been developed, and put to use." It is not a technical encyclopedia, per se, but the entries can contain some technical information. It includes articles on a wide range of topics, such as the origin and chemistry of cheese, the historical development of software, and the rise and fall of drive-in movies. The entry on gunpowder "explodes" the myth of its Chinese origins. The focus is on science and technology successes, but there are notable failures as well. For example, polywater was a new form of water "discovered" by a Soviet scientist in 1961; after much international scrutiny, its properties were shown to be caused by contaminants. Examples of other entries include airbags, arches and vaults, Bhopal, bubonic plague, cholesterol, eyeglasses, nylon, quark, resource depletion, space probe, and wheel. Entries were written by more than 90 contributors, almost all of whom have academic affiliations. Most entries are at least a page; a number (e.g., cloning, DNA) are more than three pages. Both U.S. customary and metric units are used for measurements. See also references and, in some cases, suggestions for further reading are listed at each entry's end. Occasionally, these citations are older. For example, the suggested reading at the end of the AIDS article is from 1989. There is a 13-page bibliography in volume 3. The index that concludes each volume is cumulative but refers only to page numbers, not volumes. In the crowded field of science encyclopedias, this title is less technical than McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology [RBB S 15 97] or Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia [RBB My 1 95], but its focus on society and science will give it a niche in public libraries or with freshmen or sophomore undergraduates, particularly nonscience majors.