Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age: From the End of World War I to the Great Crash, edited by James Ciment. 2 vols. 644p. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2008. 978-0-7656-8078-5; 2007-23928. $199.

Encyclopedia of the Jazz Age: From the End of World War I to the Great Crash Historian and writer James Ciment has made a career producing reference works devoted to social issues. For the past eight years, he also has been editing a series of highly competent period encyclopedias on American history. Thus far, the series has included Colonial America (M.E. Sharpe, 2006), Post-War America (M.E. Sharpe, 2007), and Encyclopedia of the Great Depression and the New Deal (M.E. Sharpe, 2001). His latest effort complements the latter with its coverage of the interwar period in the United States. Coming on the tail of the twin traumas of World War I and the Influenza pandemic of 1918, the 1920s were marked by rapid social and economic change. Mass production and consumption of everything from automobiles to soft drinks, energized and expanded the economy. Chain stores and household appliances translated to time-saving and convenience, while the length of the working day was reduced for many workers. The growth of leisure encouraged the expansion of radio, motion pictures, professional sports and even literature. The access provided by the automobile transformed social arenas for women and young adults. The exuberance of the era was captured in jazz music and hence its frequent use in naming the period. However, the new prosperity did not extend equally to all areas of society. Labor enjoyed few fruits of the economic expansion. Rural farmers suffered frequent failures and perennially depressed prices. Prohibition laid the groundwork for organized crime, and isolationism limited American influence abroad. The strength of Ciment's historical encyclopedias is the degree to which he captures the extent of social and economic change, and this set is no exception. The topics and biographies he selects carefully reflect the artistic, cultural and social achievements of the period as well as its political, military and economic realities. A solid scholarly apparatus supports further research, and an annotated list of cultural landmarks help students and teachers find resources that reflect the period. This well-prepared encyclopedia will serve high school, public and academic audiences.
—John R.M. Lawrence