The American Scene: Lives Set

This biography resource, a companion to American Scene: Events (1999), is designed for students "at all grade levels." The entries are arranged alphabetically by the subject's last name and cover more than 1,300 significant and well-known Americans. Each individual, from Hank Aaron to Florenz Ziegfeld, is treated in a one-page spread. The set covers a diverse range of people, including many women and minorities, from Margaret Wise Brown to Orville Redenbacher and from Yo-Yo Ma to Tiger Woods. The entries are color coded, and each has an icon to indicate one of six different categories: "America at War," "Notable People," "Arts and Entertainment," "Discoveries and Inventions," "Important Events," and "Life in America." At the top of each page is a fact box that provides the key information in the person's life (such as birth and death data) or facts about the event that made the person famous and a map that shows where each person was born or lived or where a major event occurred. On the edge of each page, a time line indicates the period in which the subject made his or her most important contribution. A quarter of the page consists of an illustration of the subject, along with a caption explaining the picture. Each individual's life is described in two or three short paragraphs. A special fact of interest is included in a "Did you know" section at the end of each entry. The set index, which appears at the end of each volume, helps readers locate biographies by ethnic group, religion, place, and topic. Although this set is nicely arranged and has an appealing layout, it is weak on content. Each entry provides only a brief summary, lacking any in-depth information or resources for further reading. Considering all the other biographical reference sets available, this one is an additional purchase only. RBBCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved