"Offering 11 volumes and about 3,500 entries, this comprehensive set follows the congressional-mandated National Standards for United States History -- a project coedited by the editor of this encyclopedia. Each of the first 10 volumes covers a different period in American history with an alphabetical list of entries. A chronology of important events for that period, reprints of important documents, and an index specific to each volume are included. The last volume includes a comprehensive index."--"The Top 20 Reference Titles of the Year," American Libraries, May 2004.