World War II: A Student Encyclopedia.(REFERENCE BOOKS)(Book review)

World War II: A Student Encyclopedia. Ed. by Spencer C. Tucker. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, 2005. 5 vols. acid free $485 (ISBN 1-85109-857-7).

The word student in the subtitle of this very good five-volume reference set is somewhat misleading, because adult researchers will find World War II: A Student Encyclopedia as suitable as students will. Scanning through the list of more than 1,200 A-Z entries provided at the beginning of each volume, it is evident the source heavily emphasizes the military aspect of the war. The main editor, eminent historian Spencer Tucker, confirms this notion in the preface when he states the source covers "major theaters of war, the campaigns, the individual battles, major weapons systems, the diplomatic conferences and the key individuals on all sides of the conflict" (xxxii). Tucker also …