French Holiday
Finding Information on French-speaking Countries: French II
A CDS Library Helpsheet
General Information
World Book Encyclopedia . REF 031 Wor
Maps, flags, history, customs, statistics, etc.
Encyclopedia Britannica . REF 031 Enc
More detailed information than in World Book .
Don't forget the library's subscription to Britannica Online . Ask the librarian for the password!
World Almanac . REF 031 Wor 2007
The latest stats, flags, quick general information.
Time Almanac . REF 031 Tim 2007
The latest stats, flags, quick general information.
Multicultural Celebrations . REF 395.2 DRE
What to expect at a wedding or a childbirth celebration in Laos , along with celebrations a few other countries and cultures.
Atlases : REF 912
The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World . REF 910.2 Tra 2004
Every country in the world has a lovely two-page article.
Europe (Fodor's Travel Books). REF 914.04 2004
What to do and see in European countries.
Cultural Atlas of Africa . REF 960 Cul
Each country has a short article along with a map containing features you may not find on others, such as where barley is grown in Morocco . There are some general articles as well.
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa . REF 960.03 CAM
For links to the State Department's Country Studies and The CIA FactBook , click here .
Lots of good, up-to-date info. Find them by scrolling down to the “Government Information” section.
Official Government Web Pages by Country :
Maintained by a British political science teacher, this list links to the official websites of many of the world's countries.
http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm
has loads of information for anyone with an urge to roam: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/
The Arts
Encyclopedia of World Literature . 803 Enc 1999
Check the nationality index in the back of the third volume. Look up your country to find a list of authors from there. Then look at the authors' listings for an overview of his/her career and famous works.
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . REF 780.3 NEW
Look up your country for a discussion of its music, specialized instruments, etc.
Visual art .
Check the 709s for books on general art, art history, and so on. Try your country in the index. If you know a particular artist or technique, try it as a keyword in the library catalogue.
Food
The Oxford Companion to Food . REF 641.3 Dav 1999
Many countries are listed with a short discussion of their cuisine.
A Taste of Africa . 641.596 HAR
Recipes organized by country.
The African Cookbook :
Recipes from several African countries: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/about_cb_wh.html .
ks 2-07