Top o' the Wish List

Today's mail brought a brochure from Cambridge University Press announcing the publication of the new "millennial edition" of the Historical Statistics of the United States, available in print (five volumes) and online. CUP has taken over publishing this resource after "the Census Bureau decided in the early 1990's that it would not publish a new edition." Chalk up another victory for privatiziation and commercialization of public resources. And but so, it instantly jumped to the top of my wish list. Too bad about that $825 price tag. I hope Carleton's library gets a copy...

It will be a valuable resource for libraries, students, scholars, and journalists. There is nothing comparable.

• The standard source for the quantitative facts of American history
• A sweeping, comprehensive and thoroughly revised new edition
• In both print and electronic formats
• More than 1900 tables
• 39 chapters covering the full breadth of American history
• Over 170 maps, graphs and timelines
• Print version in 5 volumes
• Electronic version can be downladed for easy analysis and chart preparation
• Dozens of new topics have been added including American Indians, slavery, poverty, non-profit organizations, race and ethnicity
• Over 100 essays putting information in historical context
• Fully cross-referenced and indexed