The book is a series of essays on a wide range of subjects, centered around Shepard's central thesis that human ecology was too centered on the 20th century, and not enough on the Pleistocene. I have all of Paul Shepard's books, but I often find myself returning to this one when I have a few moments to reflect. Try it, you will be rewarded.

Subjects: Production Management-Encyclopedias.

Reviewer: Linda Ackerson, Visiting Assistant Engineering Librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Grainger Engineering Library, lackerso@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu

Table of Contents:

A-Z entries 1

Appendices:

Alphabetical Bibliography 847
Topical Bibliography 895
Production Management Journals and Magazines 953
Index 955

This one-volume specialized encyclopedia offers a comprehensive overview of current research and development in production and operations management. Extensive changes in this area have occurred over the last 20 years, introducing new concepts and practices, such as just-in-time manufacturing and total quality management.

Approximately 1,100 articles are included in the encyclopedia. About 1,000 of these are short, paragraph-length entries that introduce new concepts, principles, and practices, such as genetic algorithms. The remaining 100 articles, which are each five to ten pages long, offer up-to-date coverage of complex activities, such as product development. All the major articles and many of the shorter ones provide references to important research on this topic. New concepts and practices are often tied to specific companies, and in many of the articles, "real-world" examples are given.

The editor provides myriad ways of finding needed information. The table-of-contents includes a list of all articles in the encyclopedia, arranged alphabetically by the article headings. A separate list of the lengthier, major articles are provided, also arranged alphabetically by the article heading. Some keyword terms mentioned in the articles (e.g., Valdez principles and MAINOPT) do not have their own entries, but they can be located by using the subject-name index.

Some of the additional indexes are unique reference sources in themselves. Most notable is an index of the "real-world" companies and organizations featured in the articles. The references cited by these articles lead the reader to a prepared list of articles that are usually scattered across a variety of trade journals. The editor included two bibliographies, both composed of the references cited by the articles. The first is arranged alphabetically by author, the second by topic, allowing the reader to search for additional information by both author and subject.

This encyclopedia is important addition to any academic library supporting teaching and research in business or engineering, and it would be useful for managers in company or organizational settings. It not only details innovations in the area of production and manufacturing management, but also links them to related concepts and practices through extensive cross-referencing of entries. The encyclopedia is a bit pricey ..., but it is a well-constructed, well-written publication that offers state-of-the-art coverage.