Burn, baby burn!

Fire! Whether it's raging out of control in a forest or constrained to the tip of a match, it's a mighty force universally feared and relied upon throughout time.  Burning far brighter than just a scientific and technical discussion of fire is Greenwood's newest ground-breaking interdisciplinary resource, the Encyclopedia of Fire. It educates readers about how human societies have incorporated images of fire into their philosophies, mythologies, religions, music and art, as well as other areas of human thought and action.

Examining all parts of the world throughout history, this innovative one-stop volume features abundantly-illustrated and compellingly-written A-to-Z entries covering the full gamut of fire-related topics, including: people, events and organization; theories and concepts; cultural issues and allusions; industrial and military applications, and political and social issues. The fascinating essays delve into the hottest issues, such as:

•  the connection humans have made between natural fire and biological phenomena with fire-like properties
•  the effects of natural fires on human societies
•  how humans use fire to shape the environment
•  the ways religions have incorporated the properties of fire into their traditions
•  the types of governmental agencies designed to deal with fire
•  the use of fire-related language in aphorisms
•  pollutants produced by combustion and their effect on the human and natural environment

Designed to provide researchers with both a quick look-up of specific information as well as a wealth of in-depth insight into fire's broader significance in the world, the Encyclopedia of Fire also provides:

•  an educational preface and introduction
•  a helpful topic locator
•  suggestions for further reading

A must-have resource for all science classes, an annotated bibliography and detailed index rounds out this unique title.

David E. Newton has published extensively on chemistry and other science subjects, including the books, Recent Advances and Issues in Chemistry and Recent Advances and Issues in Physics.