Reconstruction: A Historical Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic. Edited by Richard Zuczek. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2015. 435 pages. acid free. $100 (ISBN 978-1-61069-917-4). Ebook available (978-1-61069-918-1), call for pricing.

The Reconstruction Era is often considered to be one of the most tumultuous time periods in American History. This era, which encompasses the twelve or so years immediately following the American Civil War, was a time of great social, economic, and constitutional strife. Here to provide a concise reference work on this era is Reconstruction: A Historical Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic.

While this encyclopedia consists of a single, 435-page volume, it is proof that good things do in fact come in small packages. Organized alphabetically, each entry ranges in length from one to five pages. Entries are well-written, clear, and concise; a testament to the exceptional work done by Editor Richard Zuczek. At the end of each entry, users will find a “see also” section that links users to additional, related entries. This, combined with the encyclopedia’s single volume structure and alphabetic organization, make it very easy for users to discover a wealth of information related to their specific research interests. Entries also feature a further reading section that provides full citations for additional outside sources, which is always a desirable feature of any encyclopedia.

Rounding out the list of features for this encyclopedia is a guide to related topics to help users find topical groupings of entries, a Chronology that spans more than thirty years beginning at the start of the Civil War and ending near the turn of the century, and a collection of ten primary documents integral to the study of Reconstruction. Each primary source document is preceded by a brief editorial synopsis that helps clarify to readers the significance of the document to the study of the Reconstruction Era. Despite the single-volume format, this encyclopedia contains all of the features one would expect from an expansive, multi-volume set.

When evaluating the potentiality of adding this encyclopedia to a library’s Reference Collection, it is important to note its scope and intended audience. According to the Preface of this encyclopedia, “this volume seeks to provide an introduction to Reconstruction by focusing on the most significant individuals, events, and issues . . . condensed and edited specifically for the high school student and lower-level college student, this new volume presents both the basics of Reconstruction and the most useful resources for further study” (xix). As such, high school libraries and colleges that offer lower-level undergraduate coursework on the Reconstruction Era will find this encyclopedia to be, on its own, an excellent resource for their students. Colleges and Universities with upper-level and graduate level coursework on the Reconstruction Era will still find value in this encyclopedia, but more so as a supplement to larger, more comprehensive in scope reference sources that cover the Reconstruction Era.

While there are minor nitpicks one could raise regarding this encyclopedia, namely its more focused scope of coverage when compared to larger and more encompassing reference sets that cover the Reconstruction Era, this is an encyclopedia that is easy to recommend. High school and lower-level undergraduate students will find this encyclopedia to be an asset when studying this turbulent era in American history.—Matthew Laudicina, Reference Program Coordinator, Sojourner Truth Library, State University of New York at New Paltz