Arguably one of the most important and far-reaching events of the twentieth century, the Cold War influenced politics, military campaigns, economics and social movements across the globe. As a worldwide event that spanned most of the second half of the twentieth century, addressing all aspects surrounding this period in history is exceedingly challenging. While not attempting for a comprehensive treatment of the Cold War historical narrative, Robert F. Gorman's The Cold War focuses primarily on the political, foreign relations and military activities that emerged as a result of the Cold War. A three-volume set, The Cold War contains an abundance of maps and images as well as a bibliography by subject, a glossary, a categorized list of entries and several indexes including a geographical, photo, personages, and subject index.

A politically focused, top-down approach to Cold War history, Gorman's reference work provides readers with superb background information on a wide-ranging selection of topics related to domestic and international political and military affairs. The Cold War stands out for its uniform and accessible layout for each entry. Following an identical arrangement, the beginning of each entry notes the date or date range of the topic, indicates the topic's geographic location and also lists associated key figures. Each entry then provides a several page essay arranged into two sections; a longer “Summary of Event” section followed by a brief “Significance” section. This format produces an easily and readily comprehensible essay. Additionally, all entries contain a list of further readings and related topics. Organized chronologically, readers may appreciate the ability to browse the political developments of the Cold War in a linear, timeline fashion. While topics are not arranged alphabetically by subject, topics are easily discoverable as this work contains multiple, useful indexes which provide the reader with numerous entry points to its many essays.

While this three-volume work contains a rich collection of essays, a limited number are unique to this set. The publisher notes, “Most of the essays in this work originally appeared in Salem Press's Great Events from History: The 20th Century, 1941–1970 (2007) and Great Events from History: The 20th Century, 1971–2000 (2008)” (iv). The publisher further indicates that these volumes contain new material. However, a description of what new material has been added or a definition of what Salem Press considers new material is not provided. Therefore, libraries that own copies of the Great Events from History volumes from which most of these essays originated, should consider whether duplicating these essays in a Cold War specific work (and thereby possibly enhancing their discoverability) is worth purchasing this set. For libraries that do not own the Great Events from History volumes, Gorman's The Cold War is recommended for its informative and consistent treatment of political topics.

Although reference works on the Cold War do not abound in comparison to other large historical events, other reference sets such as The Encyclopedia of the Cold War: A Political, Social, and Military History (ABC-Clio, 2007), edited by Spencer C. Tucker provide historical treatment beyond the political narrative. However, this set's introduction (that frames the international political scene throughout the period), its epilogue (that provides a summation of the period and expands upon its enduring influence), its succinct, yet informative entries, and its robust set of indexes, make it a work well suited for high school and undergraduate students. The Cold War is recommended for high school libraries, medium-size to large public libraries and academic libraries, especially academic institutions with an undergraduate library.