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RR 2006/268 The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2nd edition) Edited by Brigham Narins Gale Detroit, MI 2005 2 vols. ISBN 1 4144 0365 8 $340 Also available as an e-book (ISBN 1 4144 0473 5)
Keywords Encyclopedias, Genetics, Hereditary diseases
Review DOI 10.1108/09504120610685364
Genetics is currently a very fast-moving subject of study. Genetics textbooks are extremely expensive, and inevitably, by the time they have actually gone through the processes of being printed, bound, and distributed, they are out of date. I am informed by genetic researchers that even the refereed and rigorously edited scientific journals in which they formally publish are so slow that, in actual practice, they communicate with each other via e-mailed drafts and electronic pre-prints, which are not indexed, or archived or, in any way under my bibliographic control. I always feel rather sad when some elderly genetically-orientated psychiatrist dies, and the spouse proudly offers me a whole garage full of meticulously indexed reprints. It seems such a shame to have to say that the recycling skip is the only place for them, but it really is. In the circumstances, therefore, it is not at all surprising that this encyclopedia, first published way back in the dark ages of 2002, has now blossomed forth into a completely new edition, with a new editor and a substantially re-written content. I assume and hope that work on the next edition is already well underway.
With the excitement over the completion of the human genome project, both...