In recent years, lengthy reference works have become de-rigueur among academic presses. Housing has not been spared, with, arguably, three key works all published in 2012 and distinguished by their size and scope. At the hefty end of the scale is the International Encyclopedia of Housing and Home (Smith et al., 2012), weighing in with seven substantial volumes. Then there is the Encyclopedia of Housing (Carswell, 2012), which in the latest edition, updated from 1998, comprises of two volumes and almost 1000 pages. And last but by no means least in terms other than size is the SAGE Handbook of Housing Studies, in a much more manageable single volume of less than 500 pages. Essentially each reference work serves different ends and audiences, as well as budgets. One thing in favour of the SAGE Handbook is that it is far more affordable than the others, at under £100. It is also a particularly handy text that puts together, in two-dozen essays, the critical core of this important and growing subject area, and is likely to be reprinted - and hopefully updated (in paperback please) - in decades to come.
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