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deliver enough depth". Along those lines, he observed that the editorial choice not to have entries on authors, while justifiable, further reinforces the lack of comprehensiveness visible this encyclopedia. He nonetheless acknowledged that "the general quality of the entries is good", and in particular praised "the geographically-themed articles" about different parts of the world, such as "Asia" or "South
Pacific", as well as those on niche topics, such as the "Rats and Mice", although he also cautioned that their inclusion can make the work "too ephemeral" on occasion. He concluded that the cost of the work is also likely too prohibitive for most readers, but found the work a "useful inclusion in a library reference section", calling the work "not entirely successful but... an interesting and engaging attempt".
355:. He observed that as a result of trying to cover both science fiction and fantasy genres, the encyclopedia is "a little overreaching". He found the overall organization of this work "quite impressive", although he found the lack of consistency between entries by different authors unfortunate, if expected. The entries themselves he found generally "well researched", although he also noted that there are occasional "surprising oversights", and several weaker entries do little but summarize the plot of the works described. He observed that unfortunately due the space and organizational limits, some shorter but nonetheless important works have been omitted from the 200 entries of canon; here he lists omissions such as
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usefulness and quality". Additionally, he observed that the work also misses some "essential" entries, particularly in the realm of influential films. Nonetheless, he concluded that "these faults do not offset the usefulness of this work", and that it is "an essential tool for students writing thematic essays", and teachers planning relevant lessons. He also noted that the very existence of this encyclopedia can help "create an intellectual legitimacy" for those genres.
336:. He further observed that the book is mostly focused on fantasy, rather than science fiction, and calls the entire project a "sampler" of the relevant literary canon rather than a proper encyclopedia. He did note that "there is plenty here to enjoy and appreciate", highlighting a number of "delightful" entries, and concluded by resigning himself to the fact that by default, any encyclopedic project "that aims for anything less will be inevitably limited in scope".
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the same year, wrote that the project is too ambitious for its limited size, and pointed out that the allocation of roughly the same word count to all entries is not fair for more complex topics (comparing, for example, entries on "Aliens in Space" to "Rats and Mice"), which therefore often fail "to
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in the book's name as misleading. He blamed
Greenwood's editorial board for "thwarting a solid survey of a literary field" by limiting this project to 600 entries, particularly given that the book already combines two genres (science fiction and fantasy). With regards to the actual contents, he
234:
covers". He found the volumes "useful and fun" but also "idiosyncratic" when it comes to the selection of the topics, concluding that despite professed consultation with other experts over the contents "certain themes rather than others have haunted
Westfahl himself". He observed that the last
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was defined early on as 600 entries written by a number of different authors, ranging from established specialists to doctoral students. It consists of three volumes of 200 entries each, with the first two containing entries on themes, and the last one focusing on selected novels, films, and
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in 2007 likewise noted the book is overpriced (at $ 349.95) and therefore is not likely to be easily accessible to most casual readers. Second, he criticized the work's "cumbersome organization", noting that as expected from this type of work with a multitude of co-authors, "entries vary in
498:"The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Edited by Gary Westfahl. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders . Westport, CT and London: Greenwood Press 2005. £200; $ 349.95, ISBN: 0 313 32950 8 3 vols"
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and consists of three volumes of 200 entries each. The first two volumes contain entries organized by themes, such as "Aliens in Space", "Asia" or "Rats and Mice", while the third volume lists works such as novels and films which are considered defining for the science fiction and fantasy
383:. He concluded that the "hefty price" of the work makes the work unlikely to be of use to individual readers outside of libraries, and ended by writing that "with many reservations, it is a brave, well-researched and substantial endeavour, and a useful if not perfect reference tool".
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259:. With the acknowledgement that the editors subjective tastes significantly influenced the selection of topics, he concluded that the work is one of the "stars in the expanding university of
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in 2006, suggested that it is too limited in scope, and "reflects the idiosyncratic state" of its editor, criticizing the choice of the term
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volume, focusing on works, seems to be biased towards 19th century classics, noting the omission of entries on more recent works such as
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The most common criticism that most reviewers independently noted is that many entries introduce topics – themes, works, people (ex.
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to be a commendable effort, but criticizing the work for being not comprehensive enough yet overpriced (at $ 349.95).
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television series. Each entry is about 800 words long. Themes range from expected "
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The reviews of the work were mixed, with most reviewers finding this
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The
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The
Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Volume 1
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2005 English-language reference work on science fiction and fantasy
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Shortly after its release, in 2005, Donald M. Hassler reviewed
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Also in 2006, Keith M.C. O'Sullivan reviewed the work for the
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Science
Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia
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The
Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Contributors and Their
Entries (by contributor's surname)
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The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy
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The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon
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