Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution

*Starred Review* Several years ago, British television featured a program on the history of anti-Jewish prejudice, aptly entitled The Longest Hatred. Although the history of antisemitism is indeed long and the literature voluminous, there are surprisingly few reference works providing an overview.

Containing 612 articles authored by more than 200 scholars and others from 21 countries, this encyclopedia includes alphabetically arranged entries ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages in length. Major historical eras are covered, and the subject range is remarkably eclectic: Armed forces of the United States; General Orders No. 11 (expelling Jews from Tennessee during the Civil War); Hollywood, treatment of antisemitism in; Iconography, Christian; Japan; New Left; and Physics, "German" and "Jewish" are a few examples of entry headings. Many entries provide succinct information on individuals, movements, literary works, and incidents that would require much research time to track down. Coverage is international, with entries for a number of countries, and the chronological reach extends from the treatment of Jews within the Roman Empire to developments in the twenty-first century. When choosing people to be included, the editor used a standard of "significant antisemitic and anti-Jewish thought" to keep the encyclopedia from being "a crude who is/who is not exercise." Along with entries for such individuals as Henry Ford, Adolph Hitler, and Ezra Pound, there are discussions of the history of antisemitism as reflected in the works of T. S. Eliot, Carl Jung, and Mark Twain, among others.

Each entry includes a short bibliography and useful cross-references; a superb index provides easy access to the text. An introductory essay contains a lucid discussion on the elusive definitions of anti-Jewish hatred, commonly known as anti-Semitism (the editor spells the word as antisemitism because there is no such phenomenon as Semitism). In addition, the editor offers very informative historiographical information about the use of the term in various reference and historical works.

This work deserves special praise for providing scrupulously objective information without moralizing about this very painful topic. The text is enhanced with black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Edited by an academic authority who has both contributed several essays and translated some entries from German, this outstanding resource is an essential reference source for general readers, students, and scholars. Highly recommended. Donald Altschiller
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

"This encyclopedia is groundbreaking, its most notable merits being the presentation of accurate and up-to-date information in an unbiased manner. The volumes . . . should be a necessary tool for journalists, politicians, and all people interested in understanding antisemitism."

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"This well-written and thoroughly researched encyclopedia should become the standard reference source in the field."

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