ENGLISH & AMERICAN LITERATURE

ENCYCLOPEDIAS & HANDBOOKS:

Elliott, Emory. Columbia Literary History of the United States (REF PS92.C64 1988).

Oxford Companion to American Literature (REF PS21.H3 1995).

Oxford Companion to English Literature (REF PR19.O94 2000).

Oxford History of English Literature (various titles and call numbers).

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES:

Dictionary of American Biography (REF E176.D56).

Authoritative biographical essays on notable American men and women no longer living. Includes major and often minor literary figures.

Dictionary of Literary Biography (REF PS88.D57).

On-going series of reference works with extended critical essays on individual authors. To find the entry on a particular author, check the cumulative author index in the back of the last volume of the set. Most of this information included in the Literature Resource Center database.

Dictionary of National Biography (REF DA28.D48).

Authoritative biographical essays on notable English men and women no longer living. Includes major and often minor literary figures.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES: A bibliography is a list of writings relating to a particular subject or author. Most scholarly books of criticism will have bibliographies, some quite extensive. One type of bibliography which will lead you to materials more specialized than those in this handout is the literary research guide:

Bracken, James K. Reference Works in British and American Literature; Vol. II: English and American Writers (REF PR83.B73 1998).

For approximately 600 British and American authors, lists the definitive primary and secondary bibliography; dictionaries, encyclopedias, and concordances; and author journals that publish articles and lists of writings about the author.

Marcuse, Michael J. A Reference Guide for English Studies (REF PR56 .M37 1990).

Guide to reference works published through early 1987. Organized in 24 sections, this complements the above title. One difference is the inclusion of recommended non reference materials and books on individual authors. The entries are annotated with extensive subject, title, and author indexes.

Wortman, William. A Guide to Serial Bibliographies for Modern Literatures (REF PN695.W67 1982).

Use this bibliography to locate serial bibliographies on individual authors. For example, The Keats-Shelley Journal has an annual bibliography of writings on Byron, Shelley, Keats and their circles.

To locate book length bibliographies on specific authors, search the author's name as subject in IRIS, the Rutgers Online Catalog; for example, type in SUB/MILTON, JOHN - BIBLIOGRAPHY to locate bibliographies of writings by and about John Milton.

SERIAL BIBLIOGRAPHIES & INDEXES

MLA International Bibliography, 1921+ in print (Index Area), 1925+ online

Comprehensive annual bibliography of books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. Critical works on literature or language are included, literary works and translations are generally excluded as are book reviews.

American Literary Scholarship, 1963+ (REF PS3.A47), also online

This is in the form of a series of bibliographical essays on American literature which are both descriptive and critical.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature, 1920+ (REF Z2011.M69).

Annual bibliography of English & American literature, including books, pamphlets, periodical articles, and references to reviews of works listed. Partially included in LION online database

Essay and General Literature Index, 1900+ (Index Area).

Indexes collections of essays.

Humanities Index, 1974+ in print (Index Area), 1984+ online

Provides current coverage of a selected group of major literary periodicals. From 1907-65 this was titled International Index; from 1965-74, titled Social Sciences and Humanities Index.

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1907 (Index Area)

Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900 (REF Z2005.H6).

Contents of a number of important Victorian periodicals. Author index.

Year's Work in English Studies, 1947-51, 1958-59, 1961+ (REF PE58.E6), also online.

Composed of a series of bibliographic essays, which are both descriptive and critical.

BOOK REVIEW SOURCES:

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature, 1920+ (REF Z2011.M69); partially online in LION database.

American Periodical Series Online

American Reference Books Annual, 1970+. (REF Z1035.1.A55).

Book Review Digest, 1905+ (Index Area).

Book Review Index, 1965+ (Index Area).

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974 (REF Z1035.A1C62)

Humanities Index, (1974+ in Index Area; 1984+ online).

Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities, 1960-1990 (REF Z1219.I5).

Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1789-1797 (REF PR442.W36 1979).

Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1821-1826 (REF PR453.W36 1977).

19th Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (Index Area).

Periodicals Index Online

Engl&AmL jdc 10/94, vk 4/97, js 6/08

Julie Still

Paul Robeson Library

still@camden.rutgers.edu

update 6/08