A Guide to English: The Reference Collection

"The information world has undergone drastic changes since the publication of the 3rd edition of The Oxford Guide to Library Research in 2005, and Thomas Mann, a veteran reference librarian at the Library of Congress, has extensively revised his text to reflect those changes. This book will answer two basic questions: First, what is the extent of the significant research resources you will you miss if you confine your research entirely, or even primarily, to sources available on the open Internet? Second, if you are trying to get a reasonably good overview of the literature on a particular topic, rather than just "something quickly" on it, what are the several alternative methods of subject searching--which are not available on the Web--that are usually much more efficient for that purpose than typing keywords into a blank search box, with the results displayed by relevance-ranking computer algorithms? This book shows researchers how to do comprehensive research on any topic. It explains the variety of search mechanisms available, so that the researcher can have the reasonable confidence that s/he has not overlooked something important. This includes not just lists of resources, but discussions of the ways to search within them: how to find the best search terms, how to combine the terms, and how to make the databases (and other sources) show relevant material even when you don't know how to specify the best search terms in advance. The book's overall structuring by nine methods of searching that are applicable in any subject area, rather than by subjects or by types of literature, is unique among guides to research. Also unique is the range and variety of concrete examples of what to do--and of what not to do. The book is not "about" the Internet: it is about the best alternatives to the Internet--the sources that are not on the open Web to begin with, that can be found only through research libraries and that are more than ever necessary for any kind of substantive scholarly research. More than any other research guide available, this book directly addresses and provides solutions to the serious problems outlined in recent studies documenting the profound lack of research skills possessed by today's 'digital natives.'" - from the publisher

"Most of us give little thought to the back of the book--it's just where you go to look things up. But as Dennis Duncan reveals in this delightful and witty history, hiding in plain sight is an unlikely realm of ambition and obsession, sparring and politicking, pleasure and play. In the pages of the index, we might find Butchers, to be avoided, or Cows that sh-te Fire, or even catch Calvin in his chamber with a Nonne. Here, for the first time, is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known past. Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Duncan uncovers how it has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office, and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists' living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians and-of course-indexers along the way. Revealing its vast role in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, Duncan shows that, for all our anxieties about the Age of Search, we are all index-rakers at heart-and we have been for eight hundred years." - from the publisher

"Evaluates important reference materials in English studies. Harner has added entries describing resources published since 1997 and has revised nearly half the entries from the third edition. The fourth edition contains more than 1,200 entries, which discuss an additional 1,494 books, articles, and electronic resources and cite 729 reviews. New entries reflect the expansion of literary study into emerging fields (gay, lesbian, and transgendered studies and postcolonial theory); this edition also lists reliable Web sites sponsored by academic institutions and learned societies. The annotations describe the type of work, its scope, its major limitations, and its organization; present parts of a typical entry in the work; list the type and number of indexes; evaluate coverage, organization, and accuracy; explain the work's uses in research; cite significant reviews that more fully define the importance or uses of the work or its place in the scholarly tradition; note related works, including supplementary, complementary, or superseded ones not accorded separate entries in the Guide." - from the publisher

Librarian's note: Also available in an online edition.

"What makes a good research topic in a literature class? What does your professor mean by "peer-reviewed" sources? What should you do if you can't find enough material? This approachable guide walks students through the process of research in literary studies, providing them with tools for responding successfully to course assignments. Written by two experienced librarians, the guide introduces the resources available through college and university libraries and explains how to access the sources a student needs. It focuses on research in literature, identifying relevant databases and research guides and explaining different types of sources and the role each plays in researching and writing about a literary text. But it contains helpful information for any student researcher, describing strategies for searching the Web to find the most useful material and offering guidance on organizing research and documenting sources with MLA style." - from the publisher

"The English Handbook: A Guide to Literary Studies is a comprehensive textbook, providing essential practical and analytical reading and writing skills for literature students at all levels. With advice and information on fundamental methods of literary analysis and research, Whitla equips students with the knowledge and tools essential for advanced literary study. Includes traditional close reading strategies integrated with newer critical theory, ranging from gender and genre to post-structuralism and post-colonialism; with examples from Beowulf to Atwood, folk ballads to Fugard, and Christopher Marlowe to Conrad?s Marlow ; Draws on a wide range of resources, from print to contemporary electronic media ; Supplies a companion website with chapter summaries, charts, examples, web links, and suggestions for further study." - from the publisher

"This book is a resource for researchers at every level, from first-year undergraduates to research reporters at corporations and government offices. Seasoned researchers and educators, the authors present an updated third edition of their classic handbook which explains how to build an argument that motivates readers to accept a claim; how to anticipate the reservations of readers and to respond to them appropriately; and how to create introductions and conclusions that answer that most demanding question, "So what?". It includes an expanded discussion of the essential early stages of a research task: planning and drafting a paper. The authors have revised and fully updated their section on electronic research, emphasizing the need to distinguish between trustworthy sources (such as those found in libraries) and less reliable sources found with a quick Web search. A chapter on warrants has also been thoroughly reviewed to make this difficult subject easier for researchers. Throughout, the authors have preserved the amiable tone, the reliable voice, and the sense of directness that have made this book indispensable for anyone undertaking a research project." - from the publisher

"Rarely has a book so packed with accurate and well researched factual information been so widely read and popularly acclaimed. This Second Edition of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language has been fully revised for a new generation of language-lovers. The book is longer and includes extensive new material on world English and Internet English, in addition to completely updated statistics, further reading suggestions and other references. First Edition Hb (1995): 0-521-40179-8 First Edition Pb (1997): 0-521-59655-6 David Crystal is a leading authority on language, and author of many books, including most recently Shakespeare's Words (Penguin, 2002), Language and the Internet (Cambridge, 2001) and Language Death (Cambridge, 2000). An internationally renowned writer, journal editor, lecturer and broadcaster, he received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language." - Publisher description

Mastering grammar is now easier than ever with this fully illustrated guide that covers the most important rules in grammar and punctuation—making even the most confusing rules easy to understand.

This illustrated guide to English grammar gives you everything you need for a better understanding of how to write and punctuate correctly. From proper comma usage to the correct form of there, their, or they’re—understanding grammar has never been easier.

Is it who or whom? Affect or effect? And what is a prepositional phrase? With The Infographic Guide to Grammar, you’ll learn the answers to all of these questions, and so much more. Filled with colorful, easy-to-understand entries, this book includes topics like:

–Basic sentence structure
–The parts of speech
–Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Featuring 50 vibrant infographics explaining everything from subject-verb agreement to the Oxford comma and verb tenses this book breaks down the complicated rules and guidelines for writing the English language and makes them clear and straightforward.

"The Middle English Compendium is a publication of the University of Michigan Library, the latest embodiment of the University's long-standing involvement in the study of Middle English. The Compendium has been designed to offer easy access to and some interconnectivity between three major Middle English electronic resources: an electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary (MED); a Bibliography of Middle English primary texts, limited to those cited by the MED and based on the MED bibliographies; and a searchable full-text Corpus of Middle English prose and verse." - MED website

Librarian's Note: A searchable online version of the Middle English dictionary is hosted on the University of Michigan Library website.

"The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary is the first of its kind, a brand new illustrated alphabetical dictionary of all the words and meanings students of Shakespeare need to know. Every word has an example sentence selected from the twelve most studied plays including Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Henry V. Usage notes and theatre notes provide additional background to Shakespearean times and the performance of his plays. Further support is provided by language panels on select topics like the humours, swearing, and stage directions, and full-colour illustrated thematic spreads on special feature topics from clothes and armour to music and recreation. The dictionary is easy to use with its clear signposting, accessible design, and expertly levelled contemporary look and feel. It is the perfect support for a full understanding of Shakespeare, created by renowned authors Professor David Crystal and actor Ben Crystal, a father and son team who combine for the first time the academic and the theatre, bringing together language, literature, and lexicography in this unique Shakespeare dictionary of global appeal." - Publisher description

"One of the most distinctive characteristics of English is the number of words and phrases it has borrowed - and continues to borrow - from other languages, originally and most notably from Latin and French but now also from every corner of the globe. From the frequently used veranda and futon to the less familiar quinquennium and catenaccio, from the longstanding in vino veritas and vade mecum to the recent doosra and galactico, this highly informative reference book provides a revealing record of that remarkable story." "Entries give the meaning and history of each word or phrase, including language of origin, spelling variants, pronunciation. Information is given on specific items of interest, such as the use of daemon in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Feature panels provide extra information on how specific languages and cultures have influenced particular areas of English."--Jacket.

"The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is a multi-volume reference work that documents words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another place across the United States. Challenging the popular notion that our language has been 'homogenized' by the media and our mobile population, DARE demonstrates that there are many thousands of differences that characterize the dialect regions of the U.S. DARE is based on face-to-face interviews carried out in all 50 states between 1965 and 1970 and on a comprehensive collection of written materials (diaries, letters, novels, histories, biographies, newspapers, government documents, etc.) that cover our history from the colonial period to the present. The entries in DARE include regional pronunciations, variant forms, some etymologies, and regional and social distributions of the words and phrases. A striking feature of DARE is its inclusion in the text of the Dictionary of selected maps that show where words were found in the 1,002 communities investigated during the fieldwork." - from the DARE website

A digital edition of DARE can be accessed here.

"Drawing on the unique resources of the Oxford English Dictionary, Stone the Crows features over 6,000 slang words and expressions, from the British beer goggles, through the American cockamamie, to the Australian gigglehouse. This collection contains old favourites as well as the very latest slang terms. In addition to the A-Z entries, the book contains a comprehensive thematic index, details of origins, dates of first printed use, and thousands of illustrative quotations from famous names including John Lennon and Woody Allen."--Jacket.

"This thoroughly updated paperback marks 20 years of R. W. Holder's popular and successful dictionary of euphemisms, offering a delightful collection of jocular and evasive expressions for sex, death, murder, crime, prison, and much more. Here are almost five thousand euphemistic expressions listed in alphabetical order, ranging from well-known favorites to less amusing expressions from the bureaucratic and military world. For each word or expression, Holder includes examples from real authors, along with entertaining explanations of the word's origins and meaning. New to this edition are over 250 new entries and fourteen introductory articles on major themes in euphemistic language, such as business, sex, death, and the human body. The book includes an extensive thematic index which groups words together under topics such as Age, Bankruptcy, Bribery, Copulation, Funerals, Killing and Suicide, Low Intelligence, Politics, and Warfare. From "five-fingered discount" to "surgical strike," here is a wonderful collection of colorful words and phrases that allow us to avoid life's unpleasantness, as well as add spice and humor to our everyday speech." - Publisher's description

"Evaluates important reference materials in English studies. Harner has added entries describing resources published since 1997 and has revised nearly half the entries from the third edition. The fourth edition contains more than 1,200 entries, which discuss an additional 1,494 books, articles, and electronic resources and cite 729 reviews. New entries reflect the expansion of literary study into emerging fields (gay, lesbian, and transgendered studies and postcolonial theory); this edition also lists reliable Web sites sponsored by academic institutions and learned societies. The annotations describe the type of work, its scope, its major limitations, and its organization; present parts of a typical entry in the work; list the type and number of indexes; evaluate coverage, organization, and accuracy; explain the work's uses in research; cite significant reviews that more fully define the importance or uses of the work or its place in the scholarly tradition; note related works, including supplementary, complementary, or superseded ones not accorded separate entries in the Guide." - from the publisher

Librarian's note: Also available in an online edition.

"This new edition contains more than 600 entirely new entries, to reflect the new figures and issues of English literature in the new millennium, and the existing entries have been extensively revised and updated to incorporate the latest scholarship. But it remains faithful to Sir Paul Harvey's original vision of an authoritative work placing English literature in its widest context: no other volume offers such extensive exploration of the classical roots of English literature and the European authors and works that influenced its development, in recognition of the fact that literature in English cannot and should not be divorced from the cultural context from which it grew." "Also updated are the invaluable appendices, including the major literary awards and their winners and a full chronology spanning a thousand years of English literature, from Beowulf to the present day. Informed by the latest scholarly thinking, and comprehensively cross-referenced to guide the reader to topics of related interest." - from the publisher

"This illustrated and fully updated third edition is the most authoritative and international survey of world literature in English available. Covering everything from Old English to contemporary writing from all over the English-speaking world, the new edition has been brought completely up to date with more than 280 new author entries, most of which are for living authors. The general reader will find the volume a fascinating reference to browse through and to discover many new writers and works, while students will find it an invaluable resource for daily use." - from the publisher

"In that vast English library which has been steadily growing for fourteen hundred years, there is happily much that concerns us not, much that is no part of our national inheritance. There are more than enough of books that are no books, of literature that does not deserve the name, of poems that are not poetry, of prose which is a mere waste of weary words. Even so, of English books new and old that it is worth our while to know, or know about, there are many more than would suffice for a lifetime of hard reading. British publications multiply by thousands in a year, and American volumes at an almost equal rate. The flood, constantly swelling, threatens to engulf even the strongest swimmer. Year by year the need becomes greater for an approved mentor, a comprehensive guide ; and such a Vademecum Dr Robert Chambers devised and called, not unjustly, a CYCLOPAEDIA OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, the first of its kind in Britain." - from the editor's preface

Librarian's note: An old but still highly readable encyclopedia of English literature, covering the period from the beginnings to the end of the nineteenth century. Many of the best prose stylists of latter half of the nineteenth century contributed bio-bibliographical essays to Chambers's Cyclopaedia, making the entries frequently enjoyable on their own stylistic merits along with the generous excerpts provided of each author.

"Over a twelve-year period a distinguished supervisory committee from the University of Oxford, with a grant from the British Academy, has coordinated the work of 10,000 specialists worldwide to recreate one of the great English reference works. The result is the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography--a collection of 50,000 specially written biographies of men and women who have shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2000." - from the publisher

"The Encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of literature from the Abbey Theatre to Israel Zangwill, covering the entire history of literature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in the major literary languages (Anglo-Saxon, English, Welsh, Scots, Irish, and Latin). It includes substantial accounts of individual authors (e.g., Spenser, Pope, Austen) and detailed histories of particular themes, movements, genres, and institutions, whose impact upon the writing or the reading of literature was significant (e.g., The Stationers' Company, the sonnet, the ‘School of Night, ’ or the Sublime)." - from the publisher

" This culturally rich encyclopedia contains 160 alphabetically arranged entries on African American, Asian American, Latino/a, and Native American literary traditions, among others. The book introduces the uniquely American mosaic of multicultural literature by chronicling the achievements of American writers of non-European descent and highlighting the ethnic diversity of works from the colonial era to the present. The work features engaging topics like the civil rights movement, bilingualism, assimilation, and border narratives. Entries provide historical overviews of literary periods along with profiles of major authors and great works, including Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Maya Angelou, Sherman Alexie, A Raisin in the Sun, American Born Chinese, and The House on Mango Street. The book also provides concise overviews of genres not often featured in textbooks, like the Chinese American novel, African American young adult literature, Mexican American autobiography, and Cuban American poetry." - from the publisher

"This is a work about writers and about women as writers—those who are known and read, and those who have been generally neglected or undervalued because they were women. It is now possible to view them all from a more enlightened perspective. American Women Writers looks at writing in many different areas, covering over one thousand writers from early colonial days to our own time. The volumes include, of course, the best-known names of literature as such—Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Flannery O'Connor, Lillian Hellman, to name a few. There are also outstanding writers—Ruth Benedict, Karen Horney, Margaret Mead, Barbara Tuchman—from such fields as anthropology, religion, psychology, history. And there are hundreds of unjustly ignored writers who addressed themselves—in journals, letters, stories, even hymns—to the world of their time. The range is wide—writers also in politics, human rights, black culture, the early struggle for women's rights, labor organizing, children's literature, etiquette—all the areas in which women have shown their concern." - from the front flap

"Here is a gold mine of information about women's writing, women's history, and women's concerns - 771 entries, ranging from short biographies to extensive essays. The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and highly informative survey of women writers and their work as it also illuminates the issues that fired their imaginations. The volume boasts contributions by many of today's well-known cultural and literary critics, including Susan Faludi writing on backlash, Deborah Tannen on communication between the sexes, Jane Gallop on Lacanian psychoanalysis, Sidonie Smith on autobiography, Trudier Harris on passing, Nancy Armstrong on daughters, and Rachel Blau DuPlessis on poetry. There are over four hundred biographical profiles of not only important poets, novelists, and playwrights (including such contemporary figures as Wendy Wasserstein, Louise Erdrich, Anne Tyler, Amy Tan, Alice Walker, Annie Dillard, Joyce Carol Oates, Adrienne Rich, Toni Morrison, and Tama Janowitz), but also of women writers who have made important contributions in other fields - Margaret Mead, Betty Friedan, Rachel Carson, and Susan B. Anthony. Perhaps most important, there is extensive coverage of the many personal, cultural, and historical issues that have been explored by, and have influenced the lives and productivity of, women writers: race and racism, violence and sexual harassment, health, AIDS, the Civil War, the women's movement, and much more. There is also coverage of the publishing world (women's bookstores and presses), the art and practice of writing, and contemporary literary criticism (including deconstruction, black feminism, and lesbian literary theory)." - from the publisher

Librarian's note: See volumes #200 (American women prose writers to 1820), #239 (American women prose writers : 1820-1870), and #221 (American women prose writers, 1870-1920). Each article contains a bibliography of the author's works, a brief biographical and critical overview, and a bibliography of secondary sources about the author.

"In this two-volume work, hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries survey contemporary lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer American literature and its social contexts. Comprehensive in scope and accessible to students and general readers, Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature of the United States explores contemporary American LGBTQ literature and its social, political, cultural, and historical contexts. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries written by expert contributors. Students of literature and popular culture will appreciate the encyclopedia's insightful survey and discussion of LGBTQ authors and their works, while students of history and social issues will value the encyclopedia's use of literature to explore LGBTQ American society." - from the publisher

"Biographical, bibliographical, and critical information on more than four hundred authors who have figured prominently in gay and lesbian literature and culture since 1900."

"This compact encyclopedia, aimed at students, selects the most important authors, literary movements, and key topics for them to know. Entries cover the most influential and highly regarded African American writers, including novelists, playwrights, poets, and nonfiction writers. The book covers key periods of African American literature—such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and the Civil Rights Era—and touches on the influence of the vernacular, including blues and hip hop. The volume provides historical context for critical viewpoints including feminism, social class, and racial politics. Entries are organized A to Z and provide biographies that focus on the contributions of key literary figures as well as overviews, background information, and definitions for key subjects." - from the publisher

"A timely survey of an important sector of American letters, African American Writers examines a multitude of black cultural leaders from the 18th century to the present. Updated through the present time, this new second edition covers the role and influence of African American cultural leaders from all walks of life Carefully written articles, with illustrations, cover the important events in a writer's life, education, major works, honors and awards, and family and important associates. A comprehensive, easy to use source that will complement the reference collection of any public, high school or university library, and will prove useful to all university humanities and African American studies reference collections." - from the publisher

"The Oxford Companion to African American Literature provides the first comprehensive one-volume reference work devoted to this rich tradition, surveying the length and breadth of black literary history, focusing in particular on the lives and careers of more than 400 writers. Here, too, are general articles on the traditional literary genres, such as poetry, fiction, and drama; on genres of special import in African American letters, such as autobiography, slave narratives, Sunday school literature, and oratory; and on a wide spectrum of related topics, including journalism, the black periodical press, major libraries and research centers, religion, literary societies, women's clubs, and various publishing enterprises.Finally, the five-part, fifteen-page essay, Literary History, captures the full sweep of African American writing in the United States, from the colonial and early national eras right up to the present day. The Companion also features a comprehensive subject index; extensive cross-referencing; and bibliographies after almost every article." - from the publisher

"A central objective of this reference book is to provide a wide-ranging introduction to the first 200 years of African American literature. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for 78 black writers active between 1745 and 1945. Among these writers are essayists, novelists, short story writers, poets, playwrights, and autobiographers. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a biography, a discussion of major works and themes, an overview of the author's critical reception, and primary and secondary bibliographies. The volume concludes with a selected, general bibliography." - from the publisher

"U.S. Latino Literature is defined as Latino literature within the United States that embraces the heterogeneous inter-groupings of Latinos. For too long U.S. Latino literature has not been thought of as an integral part of the overall shared American literary landscape, but that is slowly changing. This dictionary aims to rectify some of those misconceptions by proving that Latinos do fundamentally express American issues, concerns and perspectives with a flair in linguistic cadences, familial themes, distinct world views, and cross-cultural voices. The Historical Dictionary of U.S. Latino Literature contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has cross-referenced entries on U.S. Latino/a authors, and terms relevant to the nature of U.S. Latino literature in order to illustrate and corroborate its foundational bearings within the overall American literary experience. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about this subject." - from the publisher

"In three volumes of expert, innovative scholarship, Literary Cultures of Latin America offers a multidisciplinary reference on one of the most distinctive literary cultures in the world. In topically arranged articles written by a team of international scholars, Literary Cultures of Latin America explores the shifting problems that have arisen across national borders, geographic regions, time periods, linguistic systems, and cultural traditions in literary history. Bucking the tradition of focusing almost exclusively on the great canons of literature, this unique reference work casts its net wider, exploring pop culture, sermons, scientific essays, and more. While collaborators are careful to note that these volumes offer only a snapshot of the diverse body of Latin American literature, Literary Cultures of Latin America highlights unique cultural perspectives that have never before received academic attention. Comprised of signed articles each with complete bibliographies, this unique reference also takes into account relevant political, anthropological, economic, geographic, historical, demographic, and sociological research in order to understand the full context of each community's literature." - from the publisher

Librarian's note: See index for articles on Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Cubano-American literatures in the U.S.

"This volume traces the history of Latin American theater, including the Nuyorican and Chicano theaters of the United States, and surveys its history from the pre-Columbian period to the present. Sections cover individual Latin American countries. Each section features alphabetically arranged entries for playwrights, independent theaters, and cultural movements." "The volume begins with an overview of the development of theater in Latin America. Each of the country sections begins with an introductory survey and concludes with copious bibliographical information. The entries for playwrights provide factual information about the dramatist's life and works and place the author within the larger context of international literature. Each entry closes with a list of works by and about the playwright. A selected, general bibliography appears at the end of the volume." - from the publisher