In this latest issue of Essential Articles ‐ the largest issue ever ‐ we are given much the same mix as before but with added subject coverage. Seventeen new topics are introduced: Au Pairs, Chechnya, Circus, Corruption, DIY (not Do It Yourself), Earthquakes, East Timor, Exams (not, you will notice, Examinations), Globalisation, Homeopathy, Iraq, Manners, Radio, Risk, Shopping, Stammering, and Students. This wide‐ranging selection is itself indicative of what sort of topic we may expect to be included: world affairs, political issues, social and health topics, all admirably suited to feature at some point in the modern school curriculum. All in all, there are 328 articles arranged under 91 A‐Z subject headings.
To take just one example ‐ Libraries. There are three articles reprinted under this heading: Ken Worpole’s “Libraries prolong their shelf‐lives” (The Independent, 10 March 2000), starting from the premise that “Librarians, in every sense lost the plot” to “Suddenly there’s a lot going on down the local library”; Helena Kennedy’s “Beware the educational Luddite” (The Independent, 24 March 1999), a more closely‐argued piece; and David Almond’s “Treasures packed into small libraries” (Times Educational Supplement, 23 July 1999); and also “Ten Things about Libraries” (presumably what every sixth former should know) from 7th century BC Nineveh, to The British Library’s virtual library at http://portico.bl.uk. In fact “Libraries” made its bow in Essential Articles 2 and has appeared in every subsequent issue. How does the reviewer know this? Simple, an accompanying illustrated wall chart provides an at‐a‐glance list of topics and which volumes cover them.
One great advantage Essential Articles offers is that the topics from each volume can be added together, should that be required, by virtue of the ringbinder format. For classroom use, the articles are photocopiable, or so the introduction claims. The sources chosen are pleasantly diverse. “Serious writing”, we are told, “is balanced by a rich variety of cartoons” and “articles are taken from both broadsheets and tabloids as well as many magazines, both well known and relatively obscure”.
A few straws in the wind would indicate that the series is now based on a sound commercial footing especially as it has now reached its seventh year of publication. For a start the fact that this is the largest issue ever; failing titles do not usually add pages, quite the reverse in fact. The implication must be that it has succeeded in imprinting itself on the school library market, which is not exactly renowned for its depth of resources. Ergo, the schools must find it useful. An examination of its contents will soon tell you why.
