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Title: McBrien and His Team Have Performed a Great Service
Review: Since I received this book from Amazon last week, I have had real trouble setting it aside. Not only does it contain a staggering amount of information; it also is beautifully produced and intelligently written.It is huge, a good thing for any encyclopedia -- 1300 pages and over 4,000 entries. It is full of pictures: photos of important individuals and sites, reproductions of famous artwork, and explanatory drawings. Major topics, such as each of the sacraments, are covered in long, well-organized essays. And all the details indicate that this project was undertaken with the seriousness and dedication it deserves: the entries are cross-referenced, helpful bibliographies follow many entries, boldface subheads break up and organize the longer entries, bylines are provided after the more analytical entries, a complete list of contributors with their affiliations is provided, pronunciations are given for unfamiliar terms -- I could go on and on.
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