Many people probably think that “social networking” merely concerns interactions (often ephemeral ones) through online technologies. Yet the Encyclopedia of Social Networks shows that such media are only the most recent means of a social phenomenon that has been engaging us for thousands of years. As editor George A. Barnett explains, a social network is “a system, composed of a set of social actors … and a collection of social relations … which specify how these actors are relationally tied” (viii). Such networks can and do exist independent of technology and comprise a rich field of scholarly enquiry.

This broad outlook stems from the editor who assembled an international team of authors from academia and research organizations. Barnett himself is chair of the Department of Communication at the University of California-Davis and is a frequently cited author in the area of international communication networks. Together, they produced about four hundred entries introducing readers to many important aspects of the topic.

Besides currently-popular networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, the encyclopedia provides background information on many other types of social networks, including alumni networks, artist communities, dieting networks, fan networks, kinship, games communities, mothers communities, neighborhood organizations, religious communities, and more. This coverage will likely expand readers’ understanding of the many social structures that operate in human lives, including their own.

Another unique aspect of this work is its emphasis on the history and cultural aspects of social networking, which extend all the way back to trade routes in Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, and the like. A handy “Chronology” (xxxiii–xxxix) emphasizes the point. This said, there may be overkill, especially for the average undergraduate. Of more than four hundred entries, about 180 concern social networks in specific U.S. states and foreign countries. This is a boon to those interested in regional aspects but may represent a lot of extraneous material to students who don't care about Connecticut, the Czech Republic, or other locations. One also wonders if such political boundaries are still meaningful today, when the college experience, multinational corporations, sporting events, and the Internet bring people together from all over the globe.

As one would expect from a Sage publication, there are also about fifty entries pertaining to theory and methods of social network analysis. For instance, readers will learn about principles such as homophily (the tendency of similar people to have more social interaction) as well as Q-analysis and other methods of graphically representing relationships. Graduate students and faculty conducting such research will find much more technical help in handbooks, but the encyclopedia's entries will be useful to undergraduates and librarians who need brief explanations.

There are other introductory works on social media (for instance, see Encyclopedia of Virtual Communications and Technologies, edited by Subhasish Dasgupta, Idea Group, 2006 and the Encyclopedia of Social Movement Media, edited by John D. H. Downing, Sage, 2010), as well as titles for social relationships (such as the 3-volume Encyclopedia of Human Relationships, edited by Harry T. Reis et. al., Sage, 2009). However, these sources do not offer as much historical or cultural perspective. Recommended for libraries serving social sciences undergraduates, especially those with regional or international interests.