You Can Look It Up

By Stefan Kanfer

Encyclopedias, according to the encyclopedia, are books containing basic knowledge in all areas of life. Many publications have answered that description in their time, from the medieval compendiums to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, first published in 1768, to three contemporary one-volume works. Which one of that trio is best? It depends on the size of the reader's requirements, bank account and bookshelf:

THE RANDOM HOUSE ENCYCLOPEDIA

2,912 pages; $129.95

The third edition of The Random House Encyclopedia weighs as much as a standard Christmas turkey (12 lbs. 5 oz.) but provides longer-lasting nourishment. On its pages are some 3 million words of text and 13,500 illustrations, most of them in color. The cost is commensurate. Even at $129.95, the volume is so cannily organized and illustrated that many families might consider it a bargain.

A double-page spread on the Civil War, for example, provides a chart of slavery in the U.S. from 1790 to 1860, battle maps, a Mathew (misspelled Matthew in the text) Brady photograph, the Union and Confederate statistics at Gettysburg and graphic breakdowns of population, agriculture, manufacturing and finance in the North and South. An account briefly describes the origins of conflict and carries the war from secession to surrender. Related entries discuss the Reconstruction period and lead on to such topics as colonialism, states' rights, the career of Martin Luther King Jr. and Brown v. Board of Education.

As long as it emphasizes the sweep of history, this encyclopedia has dignity and flair. When it tries to keep up with current events, the book often resembles a hardbound USA Today. An untroubled Donald Trump appears, along with Wayne Gretzky, Jimmy Breslin and Oprah Winfrey. Parapsychology and the occult are given two massively illustrated layouts; the Holocaust merits less than half a page. In the section on American writers, James Baldwin stares out from a large color portrait, while Mark Twain is granted a small black-and- white snapshot, and Henry James is not seen at all, though oddly enough his house is. In the coverage of modern art, Georges Braque's painting is shown in black and white; Christo's sketch is in color. In order to furnish the third edition with a fresh look, two sections go under the gliterary titles of Colorpedia and Alphapedia. Translation: pages full of pictures, and items arranged A to Z.

Yet with its faults of brevity and trendiness, The Random House Encyclopedia still represents a unique attempt to gather and illuminate knowledge in a manageable space. Any serious research demands a steady leaping from one section to another -- the bibliography is in the back, far from the original entry. But this singular book can settle virtually any argument about science, art, sport, politics or culture. Few high school or even college papers would fail to benefit from an examination of its pages. Bright adolescents, not to say curious adults, will find all they need here from theories about the first nanoseconds of the universe to the release of Nelson Mandela (Saddam Hussein inconsiderately failed to observe the publisher's deadline).

THE CAMBRIDGE ENCYCLOPEDIA

1,478 pages; $49.50

The first edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia has endpapers displaying the flags of the world in varying hues. It also offers 16 pages of color photographs and maps. Then it rolls up its sleeves and gets down to business in black and white. This is no brisk trot through the eons; the Cambridge is obviously meant as a practical desk reference, with handy lists of the United Arab Emirates, the Popes from Peter to John Paul II, metrical units, major immovable Christian feasts, annual meteor showers, Nobel laureates and Chinese animal years and times.

A diminished palette does not mean a shortage of information. There are thousands of other enlightenments. The reader can learn how a clock works, complete with line drawing (though the word quartz is misspelled); observe the anatomy of waves; examine a detailed cross section of the human heart; and follow the nitrogen cycle. For the list price of $49.50 The Cambridge Encyclopedia generously scatters maps throughout the text and supplies thumbnail biographies of almost everyone worth knowing since Adam.

THE NEW COLUMBIA ENCYCLOPEDIA

3,052 pages; $79.50

The fourth edition of The New Columbia Encyclopedia obviously holds to the credo that 100,000 words are better than a single line drawing. So will the fifth edition, due out in 1993. Until then, the long entries stand as a monument of scholarly explication.

Unlike its competitors, the giant Columbia is thumb-indexed. There is no need for readers to let their fingers do the walking, skipping and jumping through its 3,052 pages: allusions and bibliographies are conveniently attached to the primary reference. This edition was first published in 1975; there have been three American Presidents since then, along with several wars and innumerable scientific discoveries. But the basic information of history, philosophy, geography and even space exploration is here.

Originally the Columbia went on sale for $69.50. Subsequently the price rose to $79.50. But seven years ago, Barnes & Noble produced a much abbreviated edition and dropped the cost down to $29.95. The current price of an updated version is $39.95. Copies are getting scarce, but the hunt is worthwhile. With timeless information at 3 cents a page, this remains the encyclopedic steal of the century.