The edition of this already classic reference work has been completely updated and radically revised. Originally published in 1985 to great acclaim from social scientists, librarians, and professionals, this work now takes into account changes that have occurred in the social sciences over the past 10 years. Ninety per cent of the entries are new, entirely rewritten, or substantially revised. The new entries cover developments in traditional fields over the last decade, newly vital areas of study such as environmental economics and cross-disciplinary pursuits such as women's studies and cultural studies. Theoretical movements such as post-modernism which were only beginning to be discussed in 1985 are now given prominent coverage.

In over 700 alphabetical entries on key aspects of French culture since 1945, this groundbreaking work provides valuable in-depth information on topics which traditional reference works often neglect. Reflecting the growth of cross-disciplinary concerns, the encyclopedia covers fields such as film and media, sports, gender, food and wine, education, literature, technology, politics and linguistic issues. The entries include short biographies of influential figures such as Jacques Brel, Coco Chanel, and Francois Truffaut as well as brief factual pieces, major articles and overviews on subjects across the entire spectrum of contemporary French culture: Abortion, Advertizing, Beur Cinema, Canal Plus, Francophone Press, Gay Activism, Green Politics, L'Equipe, Management Style, North Africa, Paris-Match and an inclusive range of other topics.

The Routledge Companion to Aesthetics is an indispensable guide and reference source to the major thinkers and topics in aesthetics. Forty-six new entries by a team of renowned international contributors provide clear and up-to-date entries under four headings: historical, from Plato to Derrida; aesthetic theory, from definitions of art to pictorial representation; issues and challenges, from criticism to feminist aesthetics; and the individual arts, from literature to theater.

This revised edition of Encyclopedia of the Renaissance (1987) has approximately 2,100 entries, 200 of which are new. Length ranges from a paragraph to two pages, with diverse entries such as Erasmus, Desiderius; Libraries; and Spanish Inquisition. The fact that the scope has been widened to encompass the Reformation means that many articles have been expanded. Other revisions reflect recent scholarship with enhanced coverage of, for example, literacy, families, and the role of women. Editors Speake, a prolific reference book editor, and Bergin, a Yale University professor now deceased, were also responsible for the first edition.