Long recognized as the supreme reference on world literature, Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia is the single-most complete one-volume encyclopedia available for those with a serious interest in the subject. More than 10,000 entries explore all aspects of literature from around the world: biographies of poets and playwrights, novelists and belletrists; plot synopses and character sketches from important works; historical data on literary schools, movements, terms, and awards; myths and legends; and more. Completely revised and updated, the fifth edition continues to expand on the diversity of today's canon, with greater attention to traditions from around the globe. In particular, this edition brings new focus to the changing landscape of world religion and culture, as well as to accurate reflection of contemporary reexaminations and interpretations, such as those of the Ottomans, Olmecs, and Umayyads. For more than sixty years, William Rose Benét and the editors who succeeded him have upheld the level of quality that distinguished the original Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. Like its predecessors, this new edition will teach and delight, illuminate and expound, and enrich the pleasure of reading in countless ways.
Features over 10,000 entries comprising biographies, plot summaries, original and familiar titles, character sketches, historical literary personages, movements, and literary terms
The classic and only encyclopedia of world literaturein a single volume including poets, playwrights, novelists and belletrists, synopses, historical data, major characters in literature, myths and legends, literary terms, artistic movements, and prize winners.
Identifies a small number of sources which will meet the basic needs of libraries of all sizes. Designed specifically to help small libraries select a reference collection which will meet their essential needs. Focuses on 105 annotated sources, and 68 notes citing another 75 reference titles which may be substituted for those recommended in the text or purchased in addition to them. Section II is designed to help small libraries in the acquisition process. Also contains 9 exercises on using basic types of sources and is intended for new reference workers.
Portions of this book appeared in a somewhat modified form in The Reader's encyclopedia of American literature (T.Y. Crowell, 1962) and in Benet's reader's encyclopedia, 3d ed. (Harper and Row, 1987). Some 1,500 entries are new; those that are not new have been revised and updated. The scope is American literature from the period of European exploration to the 1990s, with emphasis on the US but including extensive coverage of Canada and Latin America. Entries include writers and writings, literary groups and movements, newspapers and other periodicals, and literary terms; also within the alphabetical arrangement are broad historical and topical essays. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Bruce Murphy's Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery is a comprehensive guide to the genre of the murder mystery that catalogues thousands of items in a broad range of categories: authors, titles, plots, characters, weapons, methods of killing, movie and theatrical adaptations. What distinguishes this encyclopedia from the others in the field is its critical stance.
Pick up The New York Public Library Literature Companion to check the dates of Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past or to find out how James Joyce's Ulysses changed U.S. obscenity laws, and you may find yourself hours later absorbed in the imaginary worlds of Camelot and The Matrix or sidetracked by the fascinating history of The New Yorker. Designed to satisfy the curious browser as well as the serious researcher, this exciting new resource offers the most up-to-date information on literature available in English from around the world, from the invention of writing to the age of the computer. Interwoven throughout the more than 2,500 succinct and insightful entries on Creators, Works of Literature, and Literary Facts and Resources are the fascinating facts and quirky biographical details that make literature come alive. Readers will discover, for instance, that Walt Whitman was fired from his government job after his personal copy of Leaves of Grass was discovered in his desk by the Secretary of the Interior, who was scandalized by it; that James Baldwin remembered listening to blues singer Bessie Smith ("playing her till I fell asleep") when he was writing his first book; and that a publisher turned down the serialization rights to Gone with the Wind, saying, "Who needs the Civil War now -- who cares?" Looking for information about book burning or how many Nobel laureates have come from Japan? You'll find it here. Trying to remember the name of that movie based on a favorite book? Read the "Variations" section -- you'll be amazed at the pervasive presence of great literature in today's entertainment. From Aristophanes to Allende, from Bergson to Bloom, the biographical entries will inform readers about the men and women who have shaped -- and are shaping -- the literary world. Look into "Works of Literature" to discover the significance of Beowulf, The Fountainhead, Doctor Zhivago, and nearly 1,000 other titles. Check the "Dictionary of Literature" to find out what the critics and theorists are talking about. And if you wish to delve even deeper, "Websites for Literature" and "Literary Factbooks and Handbooks" are just two of the bibliographies that will point readers in the right direction. Unique in scope and design and easy to use, The New York Public Library Literature Companion will be at home on every reader's shelf. Whether you are immersed in Stephen King or King Lear, this book has the insights, facts, and fascinating stories that will enrich your reading forever. With four major research centers and 85 branch libraries, The New York Public Library is internationally recognized as one of the greatest institutions of its kind. Founded in 1895, the library now holds more than 50 million items, including several world-renowned collections of literary manuscripts and rare books. Among the books published from the library in recent years are The New York Public Library Desk Reference (1998); The Hand of the Poet (1997); Letters of Transit: Reflections on Exile, Identity, Language, and Loss (1999); A Secret Location on the Lower East Side: Adventures in Writing, 1960-1980 (1998); and Utopia: The Search for the Ideal Society in the Western World (2000).
Designed to provide the most current information available in all fields of knowledge in a compact, portable volume, The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia is created in the United States for the particular reference needs of Ameri can readers. 210 maps, 145 diagrams, 37 tables, 100 b&w photographs.
