The editors of this 4-volume encyclopedia address the often profoundly tragic history of Native Americans with a careful focus on the viewpoint of Native Americans and attention to the issues that concern them today. Rather than organizing the material into A-Z entries, the material is grouped into six initial chronological essays, followed by groups of essays (arranged alphabetically) and organized by themes. The themes are issues, events, culture, governments, and people and groups. A sampling of individual topics includes Bering Strait Theory, education, genocide, Spanish influence, and the Red Power movement. The final volume contains descriptions of the culture, traditions, and history of the individual Indian nations, grouped into major geographical region. A section of primary source documents concludes the essays and a substantial list of resources is provided. This is a thoughtfully prepared resource that will compel students to read beyond their initial topic of interest. Johansen is at the U. of Nebraska, Omaha; Pritzker is at Skidmore College. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)