Prepared as a resource for students, high-school level and above, and for general readers, this thoughtfully conceived three-volume reference is structured around four thematic sections, each of which begins with an extended essay of 5,000 words. The themes are as follows: Atlantic African, American, and European backgrounds to contact, commerce, and enslavement; political activity and resistance to oppression--from the American Revolution to the Civil War; culture, identity, and community--from slavery to the present; and political activity, migration, and urbanization--Reconstruction, civil rights, and modern African America. Within these sections are 650 alphabetically-arranged essays ranging in length from 300 to 4,000 words. The entries include cross references and bibliographies and have been written with clarity and accuracy and with explanations (not editorializing) suitable for intelligent non-specialists. Editor Alexander identifies his political and intellectual "home" as the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell U., but both he and co-editor Rucker are affiliated with The Ohio State U., Columbus (their fields are, respectively, history, and African American and African studies). They have shaped the contributions of more than 100 scholars to present a multi-faceted history that extends to the present day--although they acknowledge somewhat lighter treatment of current times (for example, Obama's election is included, but not Hurricane Katrina or Michael Jackson's death). The encyclopedia includes numerous b&w illustrations and is thoroughly indexed. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)