Title Highlight: The Devil's Dictionary

The Devil's Dictionary

This short dictionary, found online in both Credo Reference and Netlibrary is a collection of definitions written between 1881 and 1906 by Ambrose Bierce an American journalist and writer. Bierce, once known as “the wickedest man in San Francisco” and who vanished in Mexico in 1914, wrote these biting, sarcastic, often humorous definitions as part of a large body of written work. He is most remembered today for his tale of the Civil War, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and his tales of the supernatural. The Devils Dictionary reflects the author’s dislike of hypocrisy, corruption and what he viewed as false values. In the Credo version, the definitions are arranged with alphabetic links, in the Netlibrary version the book is displayed in PDF-style page views that can be quickly navigated through links found in the left-hand column. The first edition of this work was titled “The Cynic’s Word Book”, which gives an idea of the irreverent, satirical nature of the contents. Many of the definitions contain short poems that further illustrate his point of view and many would still be considered politically incorrect today, more than 100 years after they were written. A few examples:

BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain.

BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen.

WITCH, n. (1) Any ugly and repulsive old woman, in a wicked league with the devil. (2) A beautiful and attractive young woman, in wickedness a league beyond the devil.

So if you are in need of some short, humorous reading this summer, start here.

Title Highlight: Webster's Sports Dictionary

Webster's Sports Dictionary

1 volume: Illustrations, Appendices: Abbreviations, Referee Signals, and Scorekeeping

Many of you will watch the Olympics this summer to see athletes in sports ranging from Archery to Yachting compete for gold medals. During the broadcasts, announcers often use sport specific terms to describe the action; for instance when watching fencing, you might hear the terms ”cutover”, “feint” or “en garde” used. During a table tennis match, you may hear that a player holds his/her “bat” in a “pen hold” style. The explanations for these and other terms used in many other sports are found and illustrated in this dictionary. Along with the descriptions of terms used to explain the action, there are also brief descriptions of many sports, not only those found in the Olympics, but those of other disciplines as well.

It is interesting to note that the same term may have different meanings depending upon the sport. For example the term “balk” is not only used in baseball, but also in racquet sports and to describe an area on a billiard or snooker table. Some of the definitions are quite extensive; the term “ball” not only has illustrations and written descriptions of different types of balls used in different sports, but also has a table giving the size of the ball in circumference and diameter, its weight and construction materials.

The abbreviations appendix gives explanations of some of the many sports shorthand terms you may hear or read in sports articles. The referee signals appendix illustrates the signals used by referees in the sports of American football, basketball and ice hockey. The scorekeeping section introduces two lost arts in these days of electronic recordkeeping; how to fill out a baseball scorecard and how to manually score bowling.

Title Highlight: Facts on File Visual Dictionary

Facts on File Visual Dictionary

1 volume: General Index, Thematic Indexes, Specialized indexes, Selective bibliography

Dictionaries do not just define terms with words. In some cases, as the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This dictionary, found in the reference section, demonstrates the truth of that saying. The only words found in this book are those in the introduction and the ones used as labels for the illustrations that comprise most of the book. In here, one can find illustrations of a wide variety of items ranging from the constellations of the northern and southern hemispheres, to the structure of a flower or fruit, architectural terms, tools used in different trades, clothing, weapons, measuring devices and much more. The terms are arranged into categories in the Table of Contents for easy reference. The general index at the end lists all of the objects illustrated in the book (there are 9 different illustrations of a “claw”). The thematic index is a listing of terms by broad topics using the categories found in the table of contents and the specialized indexes are more narrowly defined listings of objects (e.g., automobiles, plumbing, sewing) These illustrations would be useful as in papers or for showing the details of something discussed or described in a talk or just to find out what a “coulter” is on a piece of agricultural equipment or what the differences are between a “plain weave”, “twill weave” and “satin weave” in weaving.

Title Highlight: Dictionary of Antiques and the Decorative Arts

Dictionary of Antiques and the Decorative Arts

1 volume: Classified list of subjects and terms, Illustrations, Photographs, Bibliography

This older dictionary (1957) is very useful for its illustrations and descriptions of many of the terms used to describe the decorative arts (i.e. ceramics, glassware, jewelry, silver, textiles and furniture) as well as antiques. There are illustrations of objects and styles on the margins of every page along with short descriptions of things such as Gothic and Romanesque styles, artisans like Benvenuto Cellini, Duncan Phyfe and Paul Revere, objects including the nonesuch chest, hooked rugs, broadswords and commodes, and styles of decoration like the claw and ball foot (cabinetwork) petit point (needlework) and combed ware (ceramics). There are also entries for well-known factories like Sèvres (ceramics), Clichy (glass) and Aubusson (tapestry).
In addition to the illustrations on each page, there are also full-page illustrations and photographs of furniture, carpets, firearms, tapestries, spoons, etc. The full page illustrations and photographs are listed in the contents section for easy reference.
The “classified list of subjects and terms” at the end of the book contains a listing of all of the terms found under a given subject. This makes it simple to find all of the terms on a particular area of interest. Thus if you are looking up information on carpets under the heading carpets and rugs you will find a listing of all of the terms found in the dictionary that deal with carpets arranged by carpet-making region.
The coverage includes not only American and European decorative arts, but also Asia and the Islamic world. An unusual inclusion is the full description and illustration of Japanese sword mounts, the often elaborately decorated fittings found on the hilt or scabbard of a Japanese katana or wakizashi.

Title Highlight: The Biographical Dictionary of Baseball

The Biographical Dictionary of Baseball

1 volume: Photos

This book about America’s national past time has an unusual premise. The personalities appearing in the book were selected for their contributions to the development of baseball, not necessarily for their outstanding play on the field. The short biographies include members of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, people who were involved in some of the game’s most memorable moments both good and bad including Cal Abrams (infamous 9th inning out for the 1950 Dodgers), Billy North (fighting) and Reggie Jackson (Mr. October). Also included are innovators of the game like Doc Crandall the first successful relief pitcher, Larry MacPhail-owner and introducer of night baseball and the first telecast of a game, record holders such as Pud Galvin-first 300 game winner and Pete Rose the record holder for most hits in a career. It also covers colorful characters including Andrew Freedman an eccentric early owner of the Giants, scouts and owners (ex. Jim Gallagher-Cubs, M. Donald Grant-first chairman of the Mets). There are no citations of sources and the entries vary from very short to quite lengthy, depending upon the authors view of the person’s importance to the game. The style of writing is lively and entertaining and each entry contains many interesting tidbits of information on people like Franklin P. Adams, a newspaperman who wrote the poem immortalizing Cubs infielders Tinker, Evers and Chance and Jack Norworth, the composer of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”.

Title Highlight: Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military (CREDO Reference)

This book contains short definitions of U.S. military terms, people and battles from the first colonial conflicts (such as King Philip’s War and King George’s War) through 2001. In addition to explaining terms like advance, active defense, and retrograde movement, it also explains military ranks, insignia, uniforms and vehicles used by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard (which is not part of the U.S Military establishment, but the Department of Homeland Security). The “Browse this book” link goes to an alphabetical listing of entries with a search box at the top that allows entry of the terms to be searched. The “Links for this book” found under the “browse this book” link goes to a list of military related sites. Several of them are not related to the U.S. Military and not all of them work. There are no illustrations. A nice feature of this book is the cross-reference tab to the left of an entry which allows one to highlight a term and then click on the “cross-reference” button which results in a listing of other Oxford books that define or discuss the term. For example highlighting the term “Coast Guard” and clicking on the cross-reference tab goes to a list of other books that use the term including an entry on the history and formation of the U.S. Coast Guard in the book “The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea”. Under each definition is a suggested citation format.

Access to databases are limited to the students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Title Highlight: Historical Dictionary of Turkey

Historical Dictionary of Turkey

1 volume: Maps, Reader’s note, Acronyms and Abbreviations, Chronology, Introduction, Appendixes, Geography and Resources, Ottoman Sultans and Turkish Presidents and Prime Ministers, General Elections in the Republican Period (1923- ), Basic Economic Indicators, Basic Social Indicators

Turkey is truly a crossroads country. Because of its geographic location straddling both Europe and Asia it has been an area of strategic importance since ancient times. Nearly every civilization ranging from the Hittites in the 18 century B.C. to the European Union in the 21st century has left its mark on the country. This dictionary give a rapid introduction to a rapidly evolving country that is still a blend of the ancient and modern, tradition and change. The people now known as the Turks did not arrive in the country until the 12th century, the book does have a few entries for pre-Ottoman peoples. However, the majority of the book deals with the late Ottoman period of the 19th century and “modern Turkey” which is dated from the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The introduction and reader’s note are mandatory reading for people unfamiliar with the country, its language and its political development as it explains the use of the many strange diacritics found in the dictionary and introduces much of the background information required for an understanding of the country. The maps at the front display the growth and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire as well as the boundaries of the modern country. The bibliography is extensive and contains references for further reading arranged by topic. Two of the most divisive issues in Turkey’s international politics, the actions of Ottoman Turkey towards the Armenians after World War I and the current divided country of Cyprus are discussed in the short entries.

Title Highlight: A Dictionary of the avant-gardes

A Dictionary of the avant-gardes
1 volume: Introduction, Illustrations, Index of Names, Subject Index

This entertaining book devotes short entries to various practitioners of the numerous artistic styles known as “avant-garde”. While one often thinks of avant-garde in regard to paintings, sculpture and other visual art (light art, performance art), the author takes a broader view and includes representative topics and movements from the world of dance, literature, theatre, music, fashion, film, technology (strobe light) and other areas of the Arts. The ideas behind major artistic movements defined as avant-garde are described; some of the many areas covered are: Constructivism, Cubism, Surrealism (visual art), aleatory, microtonal and sampling (music) and performance art, mixed-means and theatre of the absurd (theatre). The unifying concept behind the book is that all of the movements, people and works discussed were initially considered outside the mainstream.

The book has references after all of the entries referring the reader to further information by listing representative works of an artist, works of criticism of the artist or work, webpages and documentation which gives suggestions for further reading on the topic. In the introduction, the author states that the book reflects his opinions on the topics and this makes for interesting reading as he often disagrees with main stream critics as to the value of an artist’s work. (See the entries on Diego Rivera, Jack Kerouac and Robert Mapplethorpe for examples) Artists, movements and works mentioned in an entry that are described elsewhere in the dictionary are indicated in CAPITAL LETTERS.

Title Highlight: A Dictionary of Church Music

A Dictionary of Church Music

1 volume

This short dictionary gives definitions of the many terms used to describe Christian church music. It does not describe composers or works; instead the definitions are for styles and forms of music found in traditional church services. Thus it describes the difference between an antiphon and an anthem, and defines church cantatas, fugues and Gregorian chants. It also contains many descriptions of the different stops found on church organs and the description of church bells includes a good description of change ringing, an unusual musical tradition most popular in England, although its use can be found world-wide. Use of this book requires some knowledge of music and its terms.

Title Highlight: Historical Dictionary of Sacred Music

Historical Dictionary of Sacred Music

1 volume: Introduction, Chronology
Appendices:
A: Texts of the Roman Catholic Rites
B: Shema and Kaddish
Bibliography

Nearly all religious traditions have a role for music. This dictionary explores many of the composers, styles and works that express religious motives, celebrations and experiences. The majority of entries refer to Christianity and Judaism’s use of music, but other religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism are covered as well. The introduction to the book discusses what is meant by the term “sacred music” as in some traditions there is little to no use of music for devotional purposes (Islam) and in others, nearly every artistic expression has its roots in the religion and thus could be considered sacred (Hinduism). About a third of the book is biographical, with brief entries on composers important in various religious traditions. It is not a listing of major composers, for instance the entry on Beethoven is quite short as his output of sacred music was quite small compared to Bach and (ADD ANOTHER). Terms used in definitions that have their own entries are indicated in bold type. Although this is a recent book (2006), the texts given in Appendix A for the Roman Catholic Rite do not reflect the recent changes made to the text of the Mass. The bibliography is extensive and arranged by subject and is very useful for anyone seeking more information on the role of music in a specific religious tradition or in general.

Title Highlight: Fairchild Dictionary of Retailing

Fairchild Dictionary of Retailing

1 volume
How to Use this Dictionary
Bibliography

This interesting dictionary covers both the business/financial and marketing/advertising aspects of selling products. There are entries on accounting and data processing, e-commerce, inventory management and control, visual merchandising and display and wholesaling. The dictionary does not contain entries for famous retailers like Marshall Fields, brand name stores or of associations and organizations associated with retailing. It has definitions of current marketing terms and demographics like Generation Y and cyberbrand as well as classical retailing terms including inventory, product placement and packaging. Reading some of these definitions will clarify the way stores display goods, the psychological and physical techniques used to direct consumer attention to a product (i.e.,selective perception, diagonal floor plan) and also terms covering retail failures (absolute product failure, product life cycle). Almost any term heard in a marketing, management or psychology class to do with the sale of goods will have an entry in this work.

Title Highlight: Illustrated Dictionary of Science, Andromeda

Illustrated Dictionary of Science, Andromeda

Online in Credo Reference
Illustrations, diagrams

This online dictionary of science broadly covers all areas of science with short explanations and illustrations of different topics. A nice feature of this online dictionary is the quick link to illustrations provided at the end of a definition; if the definition has an accompanying illustration, there will be a SEE reference at the bottom of the definition that takes you to the chart/illustration. (For example: The definition of Urea has a SEE reference to charts on Storage and Excretion).

The related entries found on the left side of any definition refer the user to other definitions of the term or to related terms found in this or other Credo reference books. Words used in a definition that have their own separate definitions are indicated by hyperlink highlighting for easy reference.

The work has two different types of listing tabs found next to the “about this work” tab, a headings and a people link. The headings link goes to an alphabetical listing of the various topics defined in the dictionary. However the listings found before the letter “A” are to the various illustrations accompanying the work. If you are looking for a quick chart to explain a topic or to use in a presentation, this list will take you directly to the charts and illustrations. The people tab is a listing of all of the scientists who have an entry in the dictionary. Some of the subject and people definitions are very short, others such as evolution, get a longer explanation.

Access to online databases is limited to the students, faculty, and staff of Monmouth College.

Title Highlight: Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art

Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art

1 volume: List of Sources, Supplementary Index

When looking at a still life painting one often looks at the bowl of fruit or flowers, nods and passes on. After all, it’s just a bowl of fruit isn’t it? Well, a look at the entry on “still life” in this book will quickly convince you that there is more than meets the eye in these artworks. In fact, these works are often commentaries on the world and spiritual matters, not just pictures of beautiful fruit and flowers. For instance, if the picture contains a skull, this serves as a reminder that all things, even the beautiful, must die, while an hour glass, candle or clock refers to the passage of time, an overturned cup, bowl or pitcher represents emptiness and a full bowl of fruit may symbolize gluttony and so on.

This book explores the meanings of these allusions and other symbols found in Christian and classical art. There are a few drawings accompanying the text illustrating different terms. The entries in the book explain the meaning of objects depicted (such as the skulls found in Dutch and Flemish still life paintings), describe various ways different mythological and historical characters are consistently depicted (Homer as a blind man, Jupiter/Zeus as a bull, St. George with the Dragon, etc.), and the ways different concepts (ie.,Hope, Charity, Love, Gluttony) are illustrated by different symbols. The supplementary index refers readers to religious beliefs, ideas and social customs mentioned in the entries.

The references found in this book add a layer of meaning to artwork and will assist in understanding the allegorical meanings that underlie much Christian and Classical art. So the next time you see a pile of Roman ruins in the background of a medieval painting you will know that they symbolize the demise of paganism and when you see a painting of a man being shot by arrows, you will know it is the martyr Saint Sebastian and a painting or statue of a woman with an owl perched on or near her depicts the Roman goddess Minerva (Greek Athena).

Title Highlight: Dictionaries of Conflict Resolution

An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945-1996


Dictionary of Conflict Resolution, (Credo Reference)

Think these two dictionaries are about the same topic? Guess again; these two dictionaries with similar titles actually have very little in common. The first is a dictionary of conflicts/wars between and within nations during the years 1945-96; the second is a legal dictionary covering the concepts involved in resolving legal disputes between private parties. The terms and focus of the two books do not overlap.

The first book, found in the Hewes reference section is a valuable resource for finding quick information on the many international and national conflicts and personalities involved in them in the late 20th century. However, the United States, the then-Soviet Union and the Cold War between the two are not given separate entries in the book, although the many incidents that occurred between the two nations during the Cold War (such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, the detention of American pilot Francis Gary Powers) are given individual entries. The longer entries contain references for further information on a person or topic. Caution should be used in reading the referenced works as in the introduction the author states that some of the books referred to contain propaganda that champions specific causes, people or outcomes.

The second dictionary is found in the online Credo Reference Library. It contains short definitions of many terms used by lawyers to refer to conflict resolution between parties. Included are definitions of such terms as haggling, arbitration and Bet Din, a rabbinical tribunal used by Orthodox Jews in America and Israel to resolve questions of Jewish ritual law. There is no introductory material to this dictionary, just an alphabetic list of the terms defined.

Access to online databases are limited to the students, faculty, and staff of Monmouth College.

Title Highlight: A Dictionary of 20th-Century Communism

A Dictionary of 20th-Century Communism

1 volume: List of entries, Acronyms and abbreviations, Index

More of an encyclopedia than a dictionary, this volume contains numerous longer articles on different topics related to communist political ideology in the 20th century, the period of its greatest impact. The topics covered range from short biographies of communists both well-known (i.e., Mao Tse Dung, Ernesto “Che” Guevara) and unknown (i.e., Enver Hoxha, Mikhail Tukachevskii) to descriptions of types of communism (among them: Trotskyism, Stalinism, Bonapatism)

Today, with only 4 countries still espousing communist ideologies (China, North Korea, Vietnam and Cuba) it is hard to imagine the great impact that communist thought and ideology had on 20th century life and politics. Reading the entries in this book will introduce you to the ideas and people behind one of the defining political forces of the 20th century, beginning with the Russian revolution in 1917, continuing through the period of the Cold War and the fading out of communism as a political system after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

An interesting observation found in the introduction to the book notes that when communists were not in power they participated in struggles for liberation and social emancipation of peoples, but, when in power uniformly established repressive and tyrannical regimes. There is a short bibliography at the end of entries containing suggestions for further reading.

Title Highlight: Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons

Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons

1 volume: Acronyms & Abbreviations, Chronology, Appendix: Academy Award Winners, Bibliography, Illustrations (at end of book)

This short dictionary provides a look at the historical development of animation and cartoons in cinema, television and other media. The book’s lengthy introduction gives a good overview of the development of animation, which is defined as including not only cartoons in the Disney vein, but also Clay animation (Gumby, Wallace and Gromit), stop-motion using puppets(best exemplified by Ray Harryhausen and Tim Burton), and computer-generated imagery (CGI) first used in a feature film by Disney in Tron.

There are short biographies of animators, film studios, animation techniques, significant films and TV shows and even some well-known characters (including Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat and Bug Bunny). There is only a small section of illustrations at the end of the book and the articles do not include references; these are found in the bibliography at the end of the book. The book does not just cover American animation; entries on anime, manga and European animation and animators are also found.

Why use a dictionary?

Most people think of dictionaries as places to look up how to spell a word or to find the correct meaning(s) of a word. Among the best known are the many varieties of Merriam-Webster’s and the most famous of all the Oxford English Dictionary. Another common use for dictionaries is to look up an equivalent word in a foreign language in a French-English, Spanish-English, Greek-English Dictionary, etc. All of this is true, but dictionaries can be a lot more.


There are many other sorts of information that can be found in a dictionary. For instance when reading a book or article about art or theatre, you may come across a reference to an unfamiliar concept, such as “conceptual art “. A quick look at the “Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes” will tell you that conceptual art is the “..radical idea that a statement which need not be in words can be an aesthetic experience” and that it is found in visual art, music and performance art. Or if you are reading a financial article and see the word “bubble”, you may not know what is referred to by the term. However, if you look it up in the “Wall Street Dictionary” you would know that in business terms a bubble is ““..a speculative venture that has little chance of making a profit”.

And dictionaries may not just illustrate words, but also concrete objects such as a Brewster chair and the aurora borealis as shown in “The Dictionary of Interior Design” and the Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology respectively. There are many uses of dictionaries for short bits of information on, or even pictures of, a term or concept that is unfamiliar.

Look for more on with this series of articles that will explore some of the many dictionaries found in or accessible through Hewes Library.  E-resource access is limited to the students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Title Highlight: A Dictionary of Opera Characters

A Dictionary of Opera Characters from Oxford Reference Online

This online resource has over 2,500 entries related to the opera and opera characters. Although the dictionary says it is one of opera characters, it also gives short synopses of many operas. This can be useful because if one can remember the title of an opera but not the names of the characters, a list of characters and links to their entries is found in the summary of the opera. Each opera listing also has a side bar link list of characters found in the opera.

The character listings describe the roll the character plays in a given opera and what performer was first seen in the role and when s/he first appeared in the role. For characters that appear in more than one opera (such as Faust), the entry lists the different operas the character appears in and the part they play in that opera.

Another useful feature of the online dictionary is the “links for this book” link found on the main entry screen. This list of links will take you to other sites related to opera, its performers, musicians, and other topics related to the world of opera.

Database access is limited to the students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Title Highlight: Sign Language Dictionaries

Gallaudet Dictionary of sign language, Random House American Sign Language Dictionary, and the American Sign Language: A comprehensive dictionary.


These three dictionaries, all found in the library’s reference section, differ from Webster’s and other dictionaries in that the words defined are indicated by drawings of the gesture used to describe the word. American Sign Language (ASL) is a non-spoken language developed over 200 years ago and its first dictionary was written only a little over 50 years ago.

Sign language is a true language with rules of use like any other. It does not consist of pantomiming signs that represent the objects described, although some signs are iconic and do represent the object talked about (such as the sign for tree), but others bear no relation to the object or concept described. These three dictionaries show the signs used in ASL, and each offers something a little different to the user. The Gallaudet Dictionary relies on drawings to illustrate the words and concepts conveyed by a sign. The other two dictionaries use a combination of written words and pictures to illustrate and explain a sign as most signs involve some movement that accompanies the hand gesture. The Gallaudet dictionary contains a CD that demonstrates how many signs are made.

It is instructive to learn that ASL is not a uniform language; some of the words are defined in more than one way in the various books or differ from book to book. For instance the sign for the word “cheat” is different in the American Sign Language: A comprehensive dictionary from the sign shown in the other two books. Each of the books opens with a detailed discussion of the language and its use and is helpful to any reader unfamiliar with the linguistics of sign.

The acceptance of sign as a method of communication outside of schools for the deaf is a recent development and the introductions to all of the books explain some of the controversies surrounding its use. Also of interest is that although sign is not a spoken language, it is not understood cross-culturally. A person communicating in ASL would not understand a person from Britain using British Sign Language (BSL) as the signs for the same words are often not the same or even similar in ASL and BSL. However the sign language used in France served as the basis for ASL, thus deaf French and American signers can communicate more easily than an American and an Englishman.

Title Highlight: Historical dictionary of Shinto

Historical dictionary of Shinto

1 volume: Illustrated, Chronology, Appendix (with lists of web sites), Bibliography

This short book gives a brief look at some of the traditions, beliefs and history of Shinto, a Japanese religious tradition. As the author points out in his preface, there is little about Shinto that is clearly defined. As a religious tradition it is unusual in having no agreed doctrines or hierarchy. If one is unfamiliar with Shinto, reading the Introduction is mandatory as it explains much about the religion and the many scholarly debates around it. Another good starting point is the entry on Kami, the local forces/spirits venerated in Shinto that are found sometimes in the natural world (trees, rocks, rivers, mountains, etc.), the animal world, or the human world. There is also a chronology tracing the important events and personalities in the history of Shinto. The Appendix offers a list of web sites with information on the major shrines and Shinto information sites; however some of the links weren’t working as of 11-10-11 although most of ones with pictures of the various Shinto shrines do work.