Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff
Preface
Reader’s Note
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Chronology
Introduction
THE DICTIONARY
Appendix: Past and Present Governments of the Territory of
Contemporary Latvia
Bibliography
About the Author
Andrejs Plakans is professor of history (emeritus) at Iowa State
University, Ames, Iowa. past president of the Association for the
Advancement of Baltic Studies, he has also served on committees of
the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, the
American Historical Association, and the Social Science History
Association.
Aldis Purs is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of history in the
Department of Scandinavian and Baltic Studies at the University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington. He has served on the board of the
Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) and
organized the first joint conference of the AABS and the Society
for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS) in 2010 in
Seattle, Washington.
In this third edition, historians Plakans, author of Baltic
Facades, and Purs expand the content of the second edition by about
100 pages, which was over 200 pages longer than the first edition;
both of these earlier works were authored by Plakans alone.
Following the format of the ‘Historical Dictionaries of Europe’
series, this volume includes a section on acronyms and
abbreviations, a chronology, an introduction, the A–Z entries of
the dictionary proper, four appendixes, and a bibliography. The
dictionary features almost 550 entries in this current iteration,
including new entries on the LGBT movement, athletes, politicians,
clergy, musical groups, and popular culture in Latvia. The
bibliography expanded by only a few pages and is structured much
like the second edition but now includes some sources neglected in
previous editions. It is recommended as a replacement for the
earlier editions as well as Plakans's The A to Z of Latvia (2010)
because this volume includes key topics not treated in earlier
reference works about Latvia. If a library seeks a single reference
work in English about historical and contemporary Latvia, this
edition is it.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through
researchers/faculty; general readers;
professionals/practitioners.
*CHOICE*
Latvia has become an international player after achieving
independence in 1991 following years of domination by power-hungry
states. The Historical Dictionary of Latvia, third edition, covers
an extensive period of the country’s history in a broad range of
over 500 entries that include historical and political
perspectives. Other entries consider Latvia's economy, society,
religion, and culture. In addition, topics include personalities,
peripheral conflicts, lethal weapons systems, and political and
military strategies. Entries that focus on Latvian women, cultural,
and social figures enhance reader interest. Moreover, the book
includes a list of acronyms and abbreviations, a chronology, and an
extensive bibliography. Extensive cross-references in the
dictionary section facilitate use. The volume offers current
information that supports student curiosity and academic inquiry.
All high school, public, and university libraries should retain a
copy in their research section. The dictionary also serves the
needs of history buffs and enthusiasts.
*American Reference Books Annual*
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