The Columbia-Viking Desk Encyclopedia

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THE new COLUMBIA-VIKING DESK ENCYCLOPEDIA
Edited at Columbia University
When the "CVDE" first appeared in 1953, this
handy desk-size version of the big Columbia Encyclopedia was regarded as a major publishing triumph, "the first one-volume encyclopedia in English worthy of the name" (New York Times). One-third the physical size of the original— and less than one-third the price—it retained its comprehensive character. Its immediate and resounding success is attested by the fact that more than 1,350,000 copies are now in use. This new edition, enlarged and revised for the 1960's, benefits not only from the 1957 revision of the parent volume, but from a complete rechecking and updating of its own contents. Of its 31,500 articles, hundreds are entirely new, and 5,250 entries have been substantially revised. There are new tables, new population figures, new and revised maps, and 25 new pages of detailed drawings.
A note on the editing
The... Tovább

Fülszöveg

PS
ummmi:

I I,' , V: i'i
11
THE new COLUMBIA-VIKING DESK ENCYCLOPEDIA
Edited at Columbia University
When the "CVDE" first appeared in 1953, this
handy desk-size version of the big Columbia Encyclopedia was regarded as a major publishing triumph, "the first one-volume encyclopedia in English worthy of the name" (New York Times). One-third the physical size of the original— and less than one-third the price—it retained its comprehensive character. Its immediate and resounding success is attested by the fact that more than 1,350,000 copies are now in use. This new edition, enlarged and revised for the 1960's, benefits not only from the 1957 revision of the parent volume, but from a complete rechecking and updating of its own contents. Of its 31,500 articles, hundreds are entirely new, and 5,250 entries have been substantially revised. There are new tables, new population figures, new and revised maps, and 25 new pages of detailed drawings.
A note on the editing
The task of shaping the big volume to this new, handy size involved innumerable problems. In reducing the number of articles, the editors combed the entries in an attempt to keep all those of the most general usefulness.
While considerably longer than before, this new, revised and enlarged edition retains all the features of compactness, clarity, economy of wording, and convenience of handling that have already made it so popular. It is encyclopedic in character, not a dictionary, and is directed to the needs of today's reader, emphasizing information of contemporary interest. It gives maximum up-to-date coverage, in minimum space, to science, the arts, recreation, world affairs, biography, religion, geography, politics, history, and the other great fields of knowledge.
In condensing the wordage of the remaining articles, the editors have not merely cut the text but actually rewritten it in most cases, to retain the maximum information in the minimum number of words. Skillful use of familiar abbreviations and other stylistic short cuts, keeping clarity always in mind, has been of great help. Combining many related entries, with helpful cross references when needed, has saved much space. Ready-reference information is given in listings or in concise tabular form, easily located.
Illustrations
A feature of the Columbia-Viking is its illustrations. These are not in the form of tiny sketches cluttering the pages, as in so many reference works, but are full-page renderings of useful subject groups. The up-to-date continent and world maps have been specially prepared for this volume.
For modern Americans
Designed for the modern American reader, this volume is directed to his particular interests. Articles related to the United States are given relatively far more space than in most encyclopedias. Emphasis has been on contemporary facts and persons. Modern science, the arts, and world affairs take special prominence.
This Columbia-Viking desk volume is meant not merely for people who now have no encyclopedia of their own, but also for those already owning a larger work who want a convenient all-purpose handbook for ready reference. The aim has been to include what most people want to know about any subject—not just information for the specialist— and to supply a fund of basic, essential information in all fields of knowledge. Vissza