After 20 years in Afghanistan, the US ended its longest war to date in August 2021. This massive historical reference work covers the history of this long-embattled country (dubbed the "Graveyard of Empires"), especially American involvement up to February 2020. The current volume has been greatly enlarged since the publication of the fourth edition in 2011 (CH, May'12, 49-4810). The late Adamec, a preeminent Afghan expert, edited the previous four editions. His work is expanded on by Johnson, who has conducted extensive research on Afghanistan. Following the same format as other volumes in the Historical Dictionary series, this book contains detailed information on Afghan politics, culture, and history, among many other topics. Johnson consulted numerous reliable websites to add new information and fact-check the text. A largely expanded chronology includes the names of many political and government figures not mentioned in previous editions, the revised entry on the Taliban provides background material for researchers, and the well-sourced appendixes offer important documentary information…[T]he present reference is still an outstanding source and a much-needed update to the decade-old fourth edition. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews