Encyclopedia of Cancer Volumes I-III: Joseph R. Bertino, editor-in-chief, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, Inc, 1996. 2272pp., illus. $399. ISBN 0-12-093230-X

Extract

I fondly recall reading section after juxtaposed section in encyclopedias brought home by my mother from the supemarket, one every few weeks. The fun of our encyclopedia was in the odd, albeit alphabetic, ordering of topics and thus in the learning by chancel for example arriving at “Armageddon” when looking up “armadillo”. Unfortunately, as these volumes aged, their use waned for me. Technologies have change and now, in addition to frequently revised CD-ROM versions of encyclopedias for personal computers, one can search and download other vast databases. Nevertheless, the voluminous encyclopedia persists and has evolved, bringing to mind the current slogan of the Microsoft Corporation, Where do you want to go today?

When asked to review the newly released Encyclopedia of Cancer , edited by Dr. Joseph R. Bertino with an internationally known editorial advisory board, I opened its volumes with interest and a sense of nostalgia and anticipation.

The Encyclopedia of Cancer is appropriately enormous, given the brearhtaking recent progress in our collective understanding of human cancers, with 297 contributors writing 163 articles in three volumes. The articles are meant to be self-sufficient surveys of discrete areas of cancer research and range from six to almost 30 pages long. Each monograph includes a table of contents, glossary, summary paragraph, and bibliography. Areas covered include cancer epidemiology and genetics, the molecular biology and biochemistry of cancer, and prevention and therapeutic strategies. The chapters are arranged alphabetically based an the first word of their titles, typically chosen quite cleverly to represent the kernel of the article. Also provided is a table of contents arranging the monographs by subject area, a glossary, and an extensive index.