Ronald B. Frankum, Jr. is associate professor of History at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books on the Vietnam War.
Frankum’s Dictionary is a first-rate companion to Tucker’s set. It
contains maps, cross-references, acronyms, and a photo section. The
600-plus-entry dictionary focuses on the conflict. Frankum’s book
also contains a solid bibliography subdivided by subject. The
'Readers Notes' will help in navigating the material, and the
author states that he made a conscious attempt to make the work
accessible to novices as well as experts. Excellent starting point
for general readers with an interest in military history and for
researchers.
*Library Journal*
In a completely rewritten edition of the Historical Dictionary of
the War in Vietnam (2001), Millersville University of Pennsylvania
history professor Frankum utilizes two decades of scholarship on
the subject. His fifth book on the conflict contains approximately
700 entries that provide a balanced view, beginning with the start
of the First Indochina War, in 1946, through the fall of Saigon, in
1975. The main portion of the book is, appropriately, the
dictionary entry section. From one- or two-paragraph definitions
for terms such as Napalm, Nixon Doctrine, and Viet Cong to
multipage descriptions for entries such as Air war, Ho Chi Minh,
and Tet Offensive, 1968, Frankum’s writing is consistently
straightforward and accurate, and the topics he includes are
appropriate....Frankum provides additional assistance to
researchers by including a detailed chronology and introduction
regarding the Vietnam War. However, the invaluable highlight for
those wishing to delve further into the topic is a well-organized
and extensive bibliography, in which references for hundreds of
books are organized into subject area. A list of Internet resources
is also provided. The Historical Dictionary of the War in Vietnam
is a fine reference work for anyone wishing to have a related term
clearly defined. Its magnificent bibliography should benefit even
the most advanced researcher.
*Booklist*
Frankum (Millersville Univ.) has written four previous books about
the Vietnam War. This new volume revises Edwin Möise's Historical
Dictionary of the Vietnam War (CH, Jun'02, 39-5566). It contains
somewhat more entries (650 vs. 622), all written by Frankum.
Although many of the entries have the same title as the 2001
edition, all have been rewritten to incorporate new information and
recently released documentary evidence. In keeping with the current
state of Vietnam War studies, this volume emphasizes international
aspects of the conflict and gives the Vietnamese a larger voice.
Political and military topics are especially well covered. The
dictionary contains acronyms and abbreviations, maps (all but one
of South Vietnam), a brief chronology (1945-2010), an introduction,
entries ranging from a few words to several pages, a bibliographic
essay, and a lengthy topical bibliography. Cross-references to
dictionary entries are provided in boldface text. The bibliography
emphasizes American sources and excludes journal articles. No
photos are included. Persons, military units, battles, weapons,
places, events, institutions, policies, and tactics and strategy
are discussed. While the focus is on the United States and
Indochina, coverage extends to other countries, both major and
minor (e.g., the Soviet Union, the Philippines). The conflict
involved all of Indochina, and Frankum appropriately covers people,
organizations, and events in Laos and Cambodia as well as
Vietnam....It is the best single-volume reference work on the
Vietnam War. This is a useful resource for the reference collection
of all libraries, especially those without the 2001 edition.
Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through
researchers/faculty; general readers.
*CHOICE*
This book includes some useful preliminary matter – a list of
abbreviations and acronyms (always useful when you are reading
about the army!), sketch maps of the corps tactical zones, a
chronology and introduction. The last section is crucial for any
serious student of Vietnam: a bibliography. This is no casual
booklist as it runs from page 501 to page 599. The entries are
properly classified so that it should be possible to track down a
book on any sub-topic of the war without too much trouble. Dr
Frankum’s book is a valuable aid for serious students of the war
(American phase).
*s*
With so many excellent reference sources available on the Vietnam
War, including encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, guides,
chronologies, order of battles, factbooks, handbooks, and
bibliographies, it is difficult to discern the place for yet
another reference volume. However, one must admit that this new
volume in the distinguished Scarecrow Press Historical Dictionaries
of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest series is a very good one.
Frankum, former archivist at the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech
University and now a professor at Millersville University of
Pennsylvania, has established himself as one of the leading
authorities on the war and the resources for its study. The volume
is so comprehensively revised from Edwin Moise’s earlier historical
dictionary (see ARBA 2003, entry 420) that it is an entirely new
entry.
The volume follows the traditional format of alphabetically
arranged entries that are extensively cross-referenced, lists of
acronyms and abbreviations, maps, chronology, and an exceptional
topical bibliography, probably the best presently in print. Unlike
most previous comprehensive reference books, Frankum spells all
Vietnamese words in correct Vietnamese form with diacritical marks
rather than employ the more popular Americanized spellings.
Everything about this source is first rate.
For libraries that already have classic references such as Spencer
C. Tucker’s The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War(2d ed.; see ARBA
2012, entry 686) or James H. Willbanks’ Vietnam War Almanac (see
ARBA 2010, entry 621), which surprisingly Frankum fails to list in
his reference works bibliography, this new volume is not, despite
its excellence, a necessity. However, if a library does not have
either of the previous volumes, then this reasonably priced volume
is a highly recommended addition.
*American Reference Books Annual*
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