Talk:Handbook/Archives/2016
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Dubious definition
It seems that the word 'handbook' is used in English in several ways. Not all of them are focused on 'quick reference'. In many sciences, the word is used for a book which gives an overview about the discipline or a part of it. See for example this list of handbooks on early modern history. Because a handbook is usually organised systematically, it can be used as a reference, but many handbook authors try to write in a prose form making it a good read. The difference between such handbooks, academic textbooks and compendiums is blurred. In the medical and social sciences, a handbook is often written by many authors, sometimes dozens.
Because of the above, I think the present article is not balanced. The German Wikipedia article de:Handbuch (linked to compendium) gives a good summary of the subject which largely applies to the English word handbook as well. However probably the word handbook has a broader meaning. Now I see 2 ways for improvement:
- Merging handbook and compendium (with some additional information, see above) so that all kinds of books called 'handbook' are discussed and distinguished at the same place;
- Renaming the present article to vademecum, while it focuses on the 'ready reference' aspect; by the way, most articles in other languages where this article has interwikis to, are also about vademecums. Handbook should then be made a kind of disambiguation page with links to compendium and vademecum. Bever (talk) 22:12, 15 October 2014 (UTC)
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