Book excerpt: A comprehensive overview of the wars that saw the United States emerge as a world power; one that had immense implications for America, especially in Latin America and Asia. ABC-CLIO, acclaimed publisher of superior references on the United States at war, revisits a pivotal moment in America's coming-of-age with The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. Again under the direction of renowned scholar Spencer Tucker, the encyclopedia covers the conflict between the United States and Spain with a depth and breadth no other reference works can match. The encyclopedia offers two complete volumes of alphabetically organized entries written by some of the world's foremost historians, covering everything from the course of the wars to relevant economic, social, and cultural matters in the United States, Spain, and other nations. Featuring a separate volume of primary-source documents and a wealth of images and maps, the encyclopedia portrays the day-to-day drama and lasting legacy of the war like never before, guiding readers through a seminal event in America's transition from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era.