It is important to draw attention to what this encyclopaedia does not cover. In the Preface to Volume One, compiler Stephen Atkins describes what is covered: “The events of September 11 have produced a mass of data. This two‐volume work is an attempt to bring some order to an otherwise undifferentiated mass of conflicting information. The A‐to‐Z section of this set contains entries on people and events leading up to September 11, what actually took place on September 11, and the aftermath of September 11. This means that the participants in the September 11 plot are covered in some depth. The sequence of events on the day are covered in detail in various citations. Finally, the reasons why American intelligence and law enforcement agencies were unable to prevent September 11 are covered in considerable depth. Also of interest are the various conspiracy theories that have emerged in the last five years”. The goal of the encyclopaedia, continues its author, “ is to present to the reader a comprehensive look at all aspects of September 11 so that it can be understood in its context”. This last sentiment needs clarification. This encyclopaedia is tightly focussed on the actual event, the destruction of the twin towers and the attempted destruction of the Pentagon. The issues of the failure of US intelligence and conspiracy theories would not, I imagine, be of general concern outside the USA. The wider implications of 9/11, of why the West was so hated by the Islamic fundamentalists and of the international scene after 9/11 – the war in Iraq and the London bombings to name but two subsequent and related events – are not covered. This is no criticism of this encyclopaedia, which is excellent, but just a warning that it will not, far example, be everything the UK school child or undergraduate doing a project on 9/11 would want!
The encyclopaedia consists of two volumes, of which Volume One is an A‐Z encyclopaedia of events and personalities relating to 9/11, and Volume Two is principally a collection of 42 primary documents. Both volumes carry an alphabetical list of the encyclopaedia's 157 entries, a listing of the entries by 36 subject categories, and also a list of the 42 primary documents. Volume One has the compiler's preface, while Volume Two has, in addition to the texts of documents, a chronology of events (sometimes day‐by‐day, and even minute‐by‐minute for September 11 itself); an annotated bibliography; and an index to both volumes. Main sequence entries range from around 300 to nearly 3,000 words, with the average being around 850 words. Each entry has suggested further readings for further research. Cross‐references are given to the document or documents that cover some of the material in the entry. There are photographs and panels containing quotes. As an illustration of the care taken with the book, the bibliography is a good example: “It is estimated that there are around 3,000 books that deal with one aspect or another of September 11”; Atkins has selected 101 of the better ones and gives a gloss of their strengths and weaknesses in a well laid out presentation. It is a joy to use.
In terms of page layouts, volume navigation, design and readability, this encyclopaedia is top of its class. Author Atkins, Associate Librarian for Collection Management at Texas A&M University, and author of many other encyclopaedias and handbooks, has not only done an excellent job of making sense of the mass of data produced as a result of 9/11, but by collecting key documents together in a single volume, relating these to the encyclopaedia entries, and then combining the two sequences in a single index, he has done something that every scholar‐librarian should aspire to: making knowledge accessible whatever its origin and format.
