Edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Kwame Anthony Appiah, this 2010 set provides 1,300 alphabetically-arranged entries about all aspects of the continent. [ Preview ]

2010 set interprets "African thought" to include "all those forms of discourse -- philosophy, political thought, religion, literature, important social movements -- that contribute to the formulation of a distinctive vision of the world determined by or derived from the African experience." Covers historical figures and important social movements. [Preview]

Two-volume set (2009) contains nearly 500 entries on spirituality, ritual, narratives, etc. [ Preview ]

2012 volume contains 37 original essays on "issues relating to African religions, considering experiences in indigenous, Christian, and Islamic traditions..." [ Preview ]

Five-volume set (2007) contains over 1,000 signed entries from about 600 scholars, addressing "the entire history of African cultures from the pharaohs and the ancient civilizations of the south through the colonial era to the emergence of 53 independent countries."

Five-volume set, published in 2006, contains about 1,000 signed entries that "focus on topics in physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural/social anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology. Also included are relevant articles on geology, paleontology, biology, evolution, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and theology." You may preview a list of entries.

2008 volume contains over 30 signed contributions which review "the varied forms of analysis that are now described as 'cultural' across both those traditions of intellectual work that are conventionally described as disciplines and, just as important, those that are not." [ Preview ]

Second edition (2009) combines anthropological theory and ethnography, including 275 substantial entries, over 300 short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and nearly 600 glossary items, all alphabetically arranged.

Edited by Deborah Pearsall and first published as a three-volume set in 2007, this title "encompasses all aspects of archaeology, including the nature and diversity of archaeology as a scientific discipline, the practice of archaeology, archaeology in the everyday world, and the future of the discipline."

Five-volume set (2nd edition; 2000) probably is the most comprehensive encyclopedia focusing on sociology ever published, containing nearly 400 substantial signed articles.

The IESBS (2002) is the largest reference work on the social and behavioral sciences ever published -- over 4,000 signed articles in 26 printed volumes.

Covers scholarship and fields that have emerged and matured since the publication of the original international edition. Highlights the expanding influence of economics in social science research and features new articles and biographies contributed by scholars from around the world on a wide array of global topics in the social sciences. Acquisition was made possible by the McCrum Palmer Book Fund.

Mostly CIA maps, from the University of Texas. Also has a selection of historical maps.

Collection of respected sources which provide country-by-country data and analysis. Some offer broad overviews of conditions and issues, while others focus on narrower issues -- human rights, business, press freedom, energy, etc.