Library reference

A thorough but compact and accessible text for undergraduates, professionals, and activists, written and edited by leading historians and social scientists who study homelessness. Hardcover, paperback, or ePDF stamped copy for individual use. Also available for Kindle.

Education in China, a Berkshire Essential, provides unique coverage about learning at all levels. China has the largest higher-education system in the world, and the Chinese are known worldwide as top students and scholars.

The Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions, the second volume in the acclaimed Religion and Society series, breaks fresh ground on the subject of African and African-American religion and its influence throughout the world.

The Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism is the third volume of the Religion & Society series. With A-Z coverage of fundamentalist movements and beliefs around the world, this work offers insights into Christian fundamentalist home life, the best-selling Left Behind books, the Taliban, concepts such as Dispensationalism, and much more. The encyclopedia’s emphasis is on Protestant fundamentalism in the United States, but, in a more international sense, the volume also covers conservative religious, social, and political movements in Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism.

The Encyclopedia of Religion and War provides authoritative information about the history of religious wars and violence around the world and across cultures. It does not examine religious teachings on love, ­compassion, or benevolent service. Instead, it provides authoritative ­historical and cross-cultural information that will help readers understand war and other forms of political violence in the major religions of the world.

The Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, the seventh volume in the Religion and Society series, explores the fastest growing movements in Christianity, with numbers second only to the Roman Catholic Church. While “peoples of the Spirit” have appeared throughout Christian history, their real growth has occurred over the past century. Because of their late emergence, they are the continuing subject of religious and social science research.

The Internet in China, a Berkshire Essential, provides much-needed context and historical background for the technological development that is transforming Chinese society and creating new conflicts and new opportunities.

The Encyclopedia of Millennialism and Millennial Movements, the first volume in the acclaimed Religion & Society series, covers 200 topics and movements – from Cargo Cults to the Anti-Christ – and offers a fresh, modern perspective on the role and importance of religion in society.

The Encyclopedia of Religious Freedom is the fourth volume of the acclaimed Religion & Society series.

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of Extreme Sports presents in one volume all that we know about extreme sports: the individualist, adventure-type sports such as bungee jumping, dirt biking, sky surfing, and rock climbing that are the fastest growing segment of the sports world.

Eminent Chinese of the Qing Period (1644-1911/2) is a revised edition of the 1943 standard reference work edited by Arthur Hummel, including more than 800 Qing dynasty individuals, converted to pinyin and updated for modern users. The introduction by Professor Pamela K. Crossley explains the history of this publication and its continuing relevance.

The Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals, the sixth volume in the acclaimed Religion and Society series, explores the complex and fascinating topic of religious rites, rituals, and festivals that have shaped and have been shaped by society throughout history and around the world.

The Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media, the eighth volume in the acclaimed Religion and Society series, explores all forms of religious communication worldwide and historically, with a special emphasis on oral and written forms of communication.

The Encyclopedia of Missions and Missionaries is the ninth and final volume of the acclaimed Religion and Society series, focusing on the historical impact of missions over the centuries.

Volume 5 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability explores how we can preserve and restore habitats of all kinds.

Volume 1 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability explores perspectives from world religions and philosophies.

Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability studies the intricate links between green business and sustainability.

Volume 3 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability covers the many dimensions of international environmental law and politics.

Volume 4 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability explores how human needs and desires, from sustenance and shelter to recreation and travel, have spurred the consumption of Earth’s material resources.

Volume 7 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability examines sustainability in China, India, and East and Southeast Asia.

Volume 8 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability examines sustainability from the South Pacific to the Americas.

Volume 9 of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability examines sustainability in Africa, Europe, and western Asia.

The final volume of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability includes essays from well-known thinkers, a directory of sustainability programs, and a master index.

Volume 4 of the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography is a stand-alone handbook of short biographies of key people in China since 1979. It is a companion to the first 3 volumes, which contain long-form essays by many of the world’s leading China scholars about key figures who have shaped, influenced, and transformed China over the millennia: emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers and philosophers. This is the first time that such comprehensive collection has been available in English, produced by internationally recognized experts, and designed to satisfy the growing thirst for knowledge about China. “No biographical dictionary of China has successfully replaced Herbert Giles’s [1898] work until the new DCB. It’s about time!” –Benjamin Elman, Princeton University.

The Encyclopedia of Human Emotions is a unique work that uses a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach.

Never before published in book form, Patterns of Global Terrorism: US Department of State Reports with Supplementary Documents and Statistics provides the most complete and authoritative historical data on terrorism around the globe.

Global Perspectives on the United States is a unique, nonpartisan survey, written by experts from around the world. It is the first general resource to explore the role and image of the United States from the viewpoints of the peoples and nations of the world. The 140 comprehensive and extensively annotated articles provide historical coverage and contemporary analysis—drawing on a wide range of sources, including nineteenth-century travel accounts, international treaties, newspaper stories from around the world, and popular music. Fascinating sidebars, illustrations, and statistical snapshots emphasize the countless influences that have shaped perceptions of the United States since its founding, and the broad coverage vividly sets out the complications and contradictions that are an essential part of global perceptions of the United States. The first two volumes consist of national surveys and histories, while the third consists of expert-written articles on specific themes in US foreign relations.

“A word of caution–US citizens should prepare to be both revered and insulted [when reading this book]. Not recommended reading for thin-skinned patriots; however, a great resource for academic, public, and high-school libraries.” —Booklist

The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction surveys the history of technologies that today pose grave social, environmental, and political questions. In dozens of essays written in the year Facebook was founded, the expert authors discuss the future of artificial intelligence, affective computing, augmented reality, and much more. They draw from engineering, anthropology, law, cognitive science, and philosophy to consider the benefits and risks ahead. This paperback edition is designed to provide students and professionals with essential technical background as well as much food for thought and discussion.

Lucid and authoritative, this work – called “the newest sporting bible” by The Times of London – covers every Olympic sport, obscure activities such as buzkashi and jousting, and indigenous games in dozens of nations. This set, the original Encyclopedia of World Sport developed for ABC-CLIO by Berkshire Publishing during its days as a book packager, is packed with everything you could possibly want to know about hundreds of sports. Along with detailed information on how sports are played around the world, the Encyclopedia of World Sport explores emotions and issues surrounding the sporting life and looks at sport as an essential part of the human experience. Readers will find fascinating entries on baseball and badminton, tennis and takraw, as well as on an incredible range of activities played around the globe from ancient times up to the present.

The Encyclopedia of Homelessness is the first systematic effort to organize and summarize what we know about this complex topic that impacts not only the homeless but all of society.

The three-volume International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports is the largest and most comprehensive work about women’s sports ever published. In 430 A-Z articles, leading scholars and specialists cover numerous sports and sports figures, as well as health issues such as eating disorders, nutrition and bone density, and social issues such as body image, gender equity and Title IX legislation (which mandates equity in school funding for women’s sports programs). A number of organizations contributed to this project, including the Women’s Sports Foundation, the International Working Group on Women and Sport, Amateur Athletic Foundation, and others. One of the American Library Association’s RUSA committee’s choice for Outstanding Reference Publications 2001. “A monumental undertaking, this encyclopedia covers women’s sports worldwide and throughout history…. This encyclopedia’s strengths lie in its unique, cross-cultural treatment of all subjects…. A scholarly resource for public libraries and schools at all levels, middle school through college.” —Library Journal.

The new Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport tackles the whole world of sport, from major professional sports and sporting events to community and youth sports. It expands on the previous edition, which The (London) Times called “the newest sporting bible.” Berkshire sports titles have been praised by GQ magazine, La Gazzetta dello Sport, and the UK bookmakers William Hill, and received awards from Choice, Library Journal, and Booklist. This edition begins with the origins of sport among prehistoric hunters and gatherers and extends to the global sports industry of the twenty-first century. It covers the business of sports—marketing, management, and ownership—as well as key social issues ranging from doping, racism, sexism, and youth participation, to performance enhancement and sports psychology.

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History is the first true encyclopedic reference on world history. It is designed to meet the needs of students, teachers, and scholars who seek to explore and understand the panorama of our shared history of humans. Anyone who loves history – including those who are making history today – will find this work an endless source of fascinating, thought-provoking coverage of events, people, patterns, and processes.

The Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography uses the life stories of 135 key individuals, to tell the story of China itself over the entire span of its history. This is the 3-volume set; Volume 4 can be purchased separately. For the complete 4 volumes, click here.

The Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography uses the life stories of key individuals, selected from the earliest dynasties to the present day, to tell the story of China itself over the entire span of its history. Volume 4, available separately, is on contemporary figures. Long-form essays by  many of the world’s leading China scholars introduce key figures who have shaped, influenced, and transformed China over the millennia: emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers and philosophers. This is the first time that such comprehensive collection has been available in English, produced by internationally recognized experts, and designed to satisfy the growing thirst for knowledge about China. “No biographical dictionary of China has successfully replaced Herbert Giles’s [1898] work until the new DCB. It’s about time!” –Benjamin Elman, Princeton University.

The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China provides unrivaled insight into Chinese history and culture today in nearly 1,000 fascinating articles that include everything from “Adoption” and “One Child Policy” to “Confucian Ethics” and “Food Safety.”

The four-volume Encyclopedia of Crime & Punishment is the definitive reference source on crime, criminal justice, police science, and related topics.

The Encyclopedia of Leadership is a comprehensive guide to what is known – and what truly matters – about leadership as part of the human experience across time and cultures, and in the lives of those in positions of leadership in corporations and state houses, schools and churches, and nonprofit organizations.

The renowned Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History, edited by William H. McNeill and an eminent board, provides an integrated view of human and universal history. Environmental and social issues are examined by scholars in 580 articles from the big bang to the 21st century. And all 6 volumes have been translated into Chinese, the set available from Sanlian Press. For the 102-page index, click here.

The award-winning Encyclopedia of Modern Asia is the definitive resource on the entire sweep of Asia, from the Muslim countries of Southeast Asia, across China, India, and the Central Asian republics to the Turkic nations of western Asia. Comprehensive, authoritative, and fully cross-disciplinary, the encyclopedia’s focus is Asia since 1850, but ample historical information makes clear how the past influences the present as well as the future. This massive project – 3,000 articles, 2.2 million words of text, hundreds of photographs, 700 authors in 65 countries –  extends the global coverage offered in Berkshire Publishing Group’s many publications on world cultures, ethnic relations, and the environment. “Accessible to everyone: students will find the lists for further reading particularly useful, and non-specialists will appreciate the consistent clarity and the absence of heavy jargon. Filling a gap in the literature, this work should be a mainstay in academic, high school, and public libraries. This book was an LJ Best Reference pick.” –Library Journal.

The 10-volume Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability is a unified resource that provides a balanced perspective on 21st-century global environmental issues. No library is complete without it! View the brochure by clicking here.