''Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture'' is a comprehensive reference work, with over 5,000 articles by specialists in Latin American history, politics, and culture. The first edition of the encyclopedia comprises five print volumes, edited by Barbara Tenenbaum of the Hispanic Division of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
. A second edition in 2008 comprises six volumes, edited by Jay Kinsbruner and Erick Langer, in print and electronic format. There are lengthy, comprehensive articles, as well as shorter topical ones. Three thousand biographical sketches of important Latin Americans range from the
prehispanic
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
era to the late twentieth-century from all parts of Latin America. There are a large number of illustrations and maps. In addition, there is large index to the set, and cross-referencing within articles. Reviewer