Rating: 
Summary: An excellent (if somewhat flawed) resource
Review: Less of a book than a listing, The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons has an exhaustive listing of cartoons from the 'teens up until about 1997. Best of all are the titles for theatrical shorts and detailed listings of Emmy and Oscar nominees/winners. If you need (or want) to look up something about a cartoon, this is probably the best place to look.However, this book is *not* perfect. Besides being some 6 years out of date, the book doesn't track direct-to-video movies and seems to neglect a few imported cartoons that had hit airwaves before 1997. Also, many '80s cartoons (particularly those from the great toy-license revolution) have incorrect series synopses, voice credits, and even entries (such as the listings for G.I. Joe). This book is invaluable, yes, but it is sorely in need of a third edition (and possibly a co-author who can research obscure and/or lesser regarded cartoons). Keep this in mind before purchasing the second edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing compared to earlier editions
Review: Since the earlier editions are out of print, I was overjoyed to hear that a new edition was coming out, only to discover that the new edition omits all the information on individual episodes that was the hallmark of the original edition in 1981. This new volume should have been renamed, cause it is no longer encyclopedic.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book on the wonderful world of cartoons!
Review: The first edition, which was based on an even early edition under a different title, was a monumental treasure trove of information, but it had its faults. It was riddled with errors, but this was excusable for all the wealth of research Lenburg provided. The problem with the second edition is that it is not fully revised, despite the fact that it claims to be. Errors that could have easily been corrected in the first edition I would look up and find completely unchanged. The only difference between this and the first edition, aside from some introductory material, appears to be the deletion of episode titles in favor of the inclusion of new series, specials, and films. Essentially, it's an update, but not a revision in any way that I could see. It appears Lenburg decided to rest on his laurels. Perhpas before he sets up a third edition he ought to set up a special e-mail address where people can send corrections for him to check up on. Some of the errors are proofreading errors that an editor without Lenburg's knowledge would not catch. The first edition was wonderful, but since this edition carries all of its faults and omits much of the original's information, I can't possibly recommend this.
Rating:
Summary: Buy the First Edition, if you can--lazy revision here
Review: The first edition, which was based on an even early edition under a different title, was a monumental treasure trove of information, but it had its faults. It was riddled with errors, but this was excusable for all the wealth of research Lenburg provided. The problem with the second edition is that it is not fully revised, despite the fact that it claims to be. Errors that could have easily been corrected in the first edition I would look up and find completely unchanged. The only difference between this and the first edition, aside from some introductory material, appears to be the deletion of episode titles in favor of the inclusion of new series, specials, and films. Essentially, it's an update, but not a revision in any way that I could see. It appears Lenburg decided to rest on his laurels. Perhpas before he sets up a third edition he ought to set up a special e-mail address where people can send corrections for him to check up on. Some of the errors are proofreading errors that an editor without Lenburg's knowledge would not catch. The first edition was wonderful, but since this edition carries all of its faults and omits much of the original's information, I can't possibly recommend this.
Rating:
Summary: animation heaven
Review: this book lives up to it's title. it doesn't discriminate between new cartoons and the good ones from the past. it's very detailed (some words are missing in two or three show synopsis reports, the writer was probably reading in his mind what he was wanting to write and he got ahead of himself and left out a word or two he thought he wrote...it happens to me all the time). well, this book tells brief histories of cartoons and the voices behind them. it's a nice companion book to The Encyclopedia of Game Shows. it was published in 1999 and so at the time "The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" was still on the air but that program was pulled off ABC in 2000 because they said that 60% of the parents today feel that children don't need cartoons in their lives. NBC had already yanked animated shows off the air and ABC soon followed by pulling off nearly all of it's animated line-up. currently, Saturday mornings have very few "real" cartoons, it's now nothing but claymation, Japanese stuff, or shows aimed at very little children. i can remember being 10 or 11 (1986 and 1987) and STILL getting up early on Saturday mornings to watch "Popeye", "Wacky Races", "Scooby-Doo", "Bugs Bunny", "Clue Club", "Jabber Jaw", "Super-Friends", and the list goes on. even when i was 16 i watched USA Network's "Cartoon Express" until they started replacing the good cartoons with the newer stuff. i was raised on cartoons made in the 1930's through the 1980's but being 9 and 10 years old in the mid '80s i never knew about such things as an old cartoon and new one. to me "Yogi Bear" and "Bugs Bunny" were as contemporary as the "Smurfs" and "He-Man". i still watch the classic Warner Brothers cartoons late at night on weekends on Cartoon Network. i also love the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons and the ones they did in the 1980s (revivals of their older shows with children casts, "Flintstone Kids", "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo", plus "Tom and Jerry Kids", in the early '90s). this book is a must for animation fans; artists; fans of Daws Butler, Don Messick, and Mel Blanc like i am; plus it's broken down into different themes such as theatrical feature length cartoons, made for TV cartoons, award winning cartoons, etc. it's a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun for the fanatic and the casual viewer
Review: This book truly shows the flip side of reference books - reference vs. trivia. But what a trove is collected here. Dive on in and find your answers. Wonder who voiced Space Ghost in the original series. Look here. But you can also flip through the pages and just let memories wash over you. I found so many shows that I didn't know I forgot about. And with today's lack of as many Saturday Morning cartoons if you are of the right age it will sweep you back to those bygone days in front of the tube. Even more so it is a great reference showing the sweep of animation - the Saturday morning shows, as well as Prime Time shows. The movies. The specials. It's not a book you read from cover to cover, but open up a page and see what it reminds you of. Come in and see how many Scooby Doo show there were (6 listed under S alone). There are titles, years, characters and voices and of course a general synopsis for each entry. Comprehensive? Maybe not but it's chock full of animation goodness to keep you smiling for a good long time.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This is one of the best books. Except one thing: mistakes and lies. Ok, what is with the mistakes in the voice-actor list? I mean: April Winchell as Sebastin the Crab? Tress Macnille as LanchPaud? Did two people do the voice of Velma? Of course not, there are some HUGE lies. But at least it was a good book. but it, just avoid the lies.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Animation Reference Guide
Review: This is THE best cartoon encyclopedia I have ever stumbled upon. It lists nearly every cartoon ever made (by nearly, I mean some programs that weren't shown in America aren't in this book). The book is split up into five different sections: 1. Silent cartoons from the 1910's to the 1920's
2. Theatrical "sound" cartoons (i.e. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, etc.)
3. Cartoon movies
4. Cartoon television specials
5. Cartoon television series Everything is listed alphebetically, so it's not too hard to find your favorite cartoon. Although there are some errors in the book, such as slight mistakes in voice credits. But other than that, it's a great book. Specials and series that you never thought anybody remembered are listed in this book.
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