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Encyclopedia of American Studies

Report from the Encyclopedia of American Studies Project Editor 2002

Submitted by: Miles Orvell, Senior Editor, EAS

For those members of the A.S. Council who are unfamiliar with the origins of the Encyclopedia of American Studies, let me offer first a brief summary: The EAS originated in October 1996 in a decision by the American Studies Council to cooperate with George Kurian (an independent editor who had produced dozens of reference works) in the production of the first American Studies encyclopedia. Mr. Kurian, who had entered into an arrangement with Grolier Press, solicited the ASA’s support and essentially ceded to the ASA editorial control of the EAS.

The initial editorial board consisted of Miles Orvell (Temple U), Johnnella Butler (U of Washington), and Robert Gross (William & Mary). Late in 1999, Jay Mechling (UC Davis) replaced Gross on the Editorial Board. After a slow start, the EAS, in 1999 and 2000 moved into high gear and was published in November 2001, in time for the annual ASA conference. In fact, Grolier hosted a reception at the ASA to mark its completion and to honor the ASA contribution.

The great majority of EAS authors are ASA members (with a fair number of international scholars contributing), and we believe the EAS expresses the state of contemporary scholarship in a wide range of areas relating to the field. We also hope, of course, that the EAS serves to extend the impact of American Studies across the educational spectrum by offering users a reference work that is stimulating and authoritative.

Response to the EAS has been quite enthusiastic (a couple of sample reviews are appended to this report) and sales (over 1,400) are good for a work of this sort. The idea of a continuing association between the ASA and Grolier was opened up at the November 2001 ASA meeting, when Grolier editors mentioned the possibility of an online version of the EAS. Discussions were held late in 2001, in New York, with Donna Sanzone (Editor of the new academic series at Grolier) and Mark Cummings (Vice President and Publisher of Grolier and Editor –in-Chief of the Encyclopedia Americana), together with ASA Executive Director John Stephens and ASA member Miles Orvell. (Grolier would like Orvell, Senior Editor of EAS, to edit the EAS Online.)

At the ASA Executive Committee’s meeting in May 2001, the EAS online project was discussed, and questions were raised about the relationship between the ASA, Grolier, and the editor: what would be expected of the ASA, and what would its return be? Here, based on Grolier’s memorandum to the ASA (September 11, 2002), is a summary of the grounds for an agreement, which has yet to be finalized.

ASA responsibilities:

ASA participation is advisory and consultative; Grolier remains responsible for contents of site. No ASA facilities or offices or staff personnel will be directly involved in production.
ASA shall nominate a four-person Editorial Advisory Board, subject to Grolier approval. (Each to receive an annual stipend from Grolier.)
ASA shall name the Editor in Chief, subject to Grolier approval. Grolier shall contract independently with Editor for services. Orvell shall be invited to serve, for period of 3 years, renewable.
ASA shall offer “all reasonable assistance” in providing ASA materials to Grolier, such as course outlines, curricular guides, links to Crossroads and journal articles, as appropriate and in a manner to be mutually determined. In turn, ASA site may feature an “article of the month,“ or other links to EAS Online.
Grolier will have right to use ASA name in marketing.
ASA shall receive a royalty on net receipts, to be agreed upon.

Editor in Chief responsibilities:

Editor “shall provide an analysis of the current print set, setting forth an editorial direction for its expansion and enhancement online and providing the outline of a 3-year development program, listing new articles, article updates, and revision plans for standing entries for the period June 2003 to June 2006. Included in this plan shall be the names of 500 biographical subjects for potential inclusion in the encyclopedia as well as suggestions for multimedia, primary sources, and other sources as may be valuable to the work.“
Editor shall review web sites (selected by Grolier staff), propose photo selections, and suggest other materials contemplated for inclusion in the work.
At the request of the Publisher, Editor shall advise Grolier in the preparation or publication of teacher resources and other auxiliary materials.
On or before June 1 of each year (with exception noted below for initial release), Editor shall provide Grolier with a list of suggested revisions (representing approximately 10% of content) to the encyclopedia for publication in August of the following year. This will include, among other things, annual updates for currency and accuracy, annual revisions as appropriate, and a minimum of 25 new articles, with contributor nominees and scope descriptions for each. Grolier will contract directly with contributors.
Editor shall review all manuscripts submitted by Contributors to the Work to ensure that they are satisfactory in scope, length, reading level, and interrelationships with other entries included in the Work.
Grolier will pay editor a royalty on net receipts, to be agreed upon. It will also provide funds for project-related expenses.

Grolier responsibilities:

EAS Online will be marketed as part of Grolier Online, a subscription reference service for schools, libraries, and universities.
Grolier shall be responsible for content of work and shall create and maintain the database.
Grolier “shall not reprint articles or other material appearing in ASA publications. (Grolier may, however, provide links to ASA journals, as appropriate.) Furthermore, Grolier shall not exercise any control over the content of ASA journal articles, including ‘keyword’ articles.“
Grolier shall contract and pay contributors directly.

Assuming an agreement is reached between the ASA, Grolier, and the Editor, newly commissioned articles will be submitted to Grolier by January 31, 2003, with publication of EAS Online later in the year. And, assuming an agreement, annual meetings of the ASA will be occasions for the Advisory Committee to meet with the editor and discuss the evolution of the project and to provide consultation and guidance on its future directions. It would also be useful for the editor of the EAS Online to consult with Crossroads on online pedagogy and to remain connected with the Crossroads Committee in some ongoing capacity. A linkage between the editor and various ASA special interest caucuses might also be advantageous in soliciting ideas for articles and authors.

Sample Reviews of the Encyclopedia of American Studies

Encyclopedia of American Studies.

George T. Kurian, Miles Orvell, Johnnella E. Butler, and Jay Mechling, eds. Danbury, Conn., Grolier, 2001. 4v. illus. index. $399.00/set. ISBN 0-7172-9222-3.

This encyclopedia is a milestone publication. Sponsored by the American Studies Association, and the first in Grolier’s foray into academic publishing, the Encyclopedia of American Studies contains more than 660 signed entries on a huge variety of topics covering the fairly new, as these things go, discipline of American Studies. It is said that when an academic discipline gets its own encyclopedia, it has arrived. This encyclopedia marks that turning point.

American Studies is the discipline that covers American history and cultures—from an interdisciplinary, multicultural, historical, and contemporary perspective. It includes arts, folklore, ethnic studies, and material cultures in addition to social, political, intellectual, and economic dimensions of American life. The encyclopedia takes a broad direction in its coverage and is inclusive. The topics covered are both broad and specific—American Culture to Fast Food and Ralph Waldo Emerson to Elvis Presley—and engaging to read in every case.

The volumes are alphabetically arranged by topic, including names. A thorough general index with detailed references to articles and a synoptic table of contents that arranges the entries into large overarching topic areas like African American cultures, architecture, arts and design, and everyday life are included. Each of the four volumes is paginated separately, 1-450 approximately in each case. The binding is strong, the print readable, and the black-and-white photographs, although not included with every entry, are clear, well selected, and identified as to source. Each entry is signed by the scholar responsible, and each scholar has a brief biography at the end of volume 4. The scholarship underlying each entry is eminently evident, and the accompanying bibliography is excellent. In fact, the bibliographies may be one of the strongest elements of the encyclopedia.

As to its usefulness in a library setting, many subject encyclopedias are underused in reference departments in both academic and public settings. The Web-based resources, and the Internet itself, afford quicker and more convenient answers to questions. Would students or patrons look here for a discussion on the West, the Vietnam War, or bilingual education? Although these entries are superb and discuss these and all the topics in terms of American culture, it is probable that, unless advised to do so, patrons will not consult this source. Thus, this encyclopedia is a source for teachers and librarians to recommend, and they should do so. As a milestone reference, this title belongs in libraries, and at $399 a set it is affordable in this day of highly expensive reference items. [R: LJ, 15 Nov 01, p. 60]-Paul A. Mogren [former chair, Bibliography & Indexes Committee, American Library Association]

Encyclopedia of American Studies. Ed. George T. Kurian, Miles Orvell, Johnnella E. Butler, and Jay Mechling. 5 vols. New York: Groiler, 2001. E169.1.E625 973’.03.

An encyclopedia for the student of the cultures of the United States. Ranging across folk, vernacular, elite, regional, sectarian, and mass cultures, the approximately 660 entries (which range from 500 to 5,000 words and which are, for the most part, written by established scholars) utilize an interdisciplinary approach to a topic and its relationship to American culture in encompassing such areas as communication, economics, ethnicity, the arts, gender, national identity, the environment, religion, and technology, in short, virtually any area of interest to the discipline of American studies. Because of the broad scope of the majority of entries, users should begin with the subject index in vol. 4 (e.g., while Amish, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Works Progress Administration lack individual entries, they are discussed under broader ones). Sporting readable discussions and aptly-chosen illustrations, Encyclopedia of American Studies is a browser’s delight and a source of authoritative overviews of aspects of American culture. http://www-english.tamu.edu/pubs/lrg/addenda.html