This four-volume encyclopedia, edited by Herb (geography, Middlebury College) and Kaplan (geography, Kent State U.), is intended as an in-depth examination of nations and nationalism that explores both characteristic themes and representative cases from all over the world. The volumes are arranged chronologically, with individual volumes covering 1770 to 1880, 1880 to 1945, 1945 to 1989, and 1989 to the present. Overall, there are 104 full-length country essays, similarly formatted such that each places the national case in historical, political, social, and geographical context; examines key actors and institutions together with philosophical foundations; discusses the role of ethno-cultural, civilizational, and geographical markers in creating the us-them distinction at the heart of nationalism; address particular events, stories, and myths used in constructing the nation; and explore actions and strategies that have been used to mobilize and build the nation. The editors sought to include examples from both the developed and the developing world and to include at least one case from every major region of the world. Included alongside the country entries are 42 thematic essays, each about 6000 words long, on such topics as gender and nationalism, education and nationalism, national symbols, technology and nationalism, cinema and national identity, diaspora and nationalism, national identity and immigration, new social and environmental movements in relation to nationalism, and terrorism and nationalism. Each of these essays aims to address why the particular topic is important; what the background and origins of the issues at hand are; major dimensions and impacts on different groups, social conditions, and ideas; and the consequences and ramifications of the issue for the character and future developments of nations and nationalism. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)