The Encyclopedia of Motherhood is the first reference work dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of motherhood. While other reference works, such as Charles A. Smith’s Encyclopedia of Parenting Theory and Research (Greenwood, 1999) or Barbara Katz Rothman’s Encyclopedia of Childbearing: Critical Perspectives (Oryx, 1993) might share some common entries, the current work uses the unique lens of motherhood studies to examine in a new light what might have previously been covered elsewhere.

The editor, Andrea O’Reilly, has a long record of motherhood scholarship and activism and is thus exceptionally well qualified to edit this work. She is “founder and director of the Association for Research on Mothering, founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, and founder and editor of Demeter Press, the first feminist press on motherhood. She is cofounder of the Museum of Motherhood … and is cofounder of the International Mothers Network, the first international consortium of motherhood organizations” (vi). She is also the editor or coeditor of fourteen books on motherhood and author of two books on motherhood thus far.

The purpose of the encyclopedia, which it clearly satisfies, is “to introduce readers to and provide information on the central terms, concepts, topics, issues, themes, debates, theories, and texts of this new discipline of motherhood studies as well as to examine the topic of motherhood in various contexts such as history and geography and by academic discipline” (viii). The encyclopedia in its coverage also pays special attention to “geographical, cultural and ethnic diversity” (ix).

The entries are written by appropriately credentialed academics, as well as experts outside of academia, such as Diana Lynn Barnes of the Center for Postpartum Health, who wrote “Infanticide.” The entries are filled with useful statistics and references, yet are very readable.

Special features of the work include a reader’s guide, which is helpful in tying concepts gathered from a wide variety of disciplines together. The work also includes a chronology of motherhood, a glossary, a resource guide, and an appendix of motherhood statistics around the world. All of these sections serve to further contextualize and explicate the standard entries.While many of the topics covered in The Encyclopedia of Motherhood are also covered in other reference sources, the distinct perspective of motherhood studies makes these entries unique. Even topics familiar to most readers will have something new to offer, which makes this a fascinating and highly browsable work.

This encyclopedia is recommended for larger public libraries and most academic libraries.