SCOPE: This is a selective guide to important print and electronic reference sources in the fields of English and American literature available in the AU Library. For more help, please ask a reference librarian.

TO FIND JOURNAL ARTICLES	ELECTRONIC TEXTS
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES	DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND HANDBOOKS
BOOK REVIEWS	STYLE MANUALS AND WRITERS' HANDBOOKS
LITERARY HISTORIES	SELECTED INTERNET LINKS

ONLINE LIBRARY CATALOG

MLA (Modern Language Association) International Bibliography  or print version Ref.Z7006.  M64 1969
    An international bibliography of literary, linguistic, and folklore scholarship. Indexes articles, essays, books and book chapters, conference papers, and dissertations. Book reviews are not included. 

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature
    Covers all aspects of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day. More than 500,000 records can be searched in the annually updated database.

Contemporary Women's Issues
    Provides full-text access to  information on women from over 190 countries. Journals, newsletters, and research reports from non-profit groups, government and international agencies are easily accessed through CWI .Information on women in over 190 countries is compiled in a single collection.  Many authors and titles that are not covered elsewhere are indexed in CWI.  The database also allows access to the bibliography for each article, even when the full-text article is not available.

Humanities International Complete

Inter-Play

Inter-Play provides access to the locations of printed plays in collections, anthologies and periodicals. Most of the plays
 cited are not indexed in the standard printed play indexes such as Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections or H. W. Wilson's Play Index. For plays by the most familiar authors (e.g. Shakespeare), you should also consult your local library's catalog. Approximately 16,130 locations are currently cited to plays in many languages. Separately-published plays are not included as these may also be located through local library catalogs. Inter-Play is updated frequently in order to include recent publications.

JSTOR

(Journal Storage Project) assists academic libraries in archiving and preserving major scholarly journals. The JSTOR project provides complete electronic backfiles of core journals in a variety of subjects. Full text coverage begins at the first issue of each journal and usually ends within five years of the present. Recently published issues are not available. Disciplines include anthropology, Asian studies, ecology, economics, education, finance, history, mathematics, philosophy, political science, population studies, and sociology. You may search the entire database, search selected journals, or browse journal tables-of -contents.

OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center (EJC)

Provides full text articles from over 7,000 journals. Every article, including book reviews, is full-text. Browse the journal titles listed under Arts and Humanities.

Bibliography of American Literature     Ref. PS88 .B55 1955
    Contains bibliographical records of nearly 40,000 literary works of 281 significant authors from the Revolution era through 1930.
American Literary Scholarship Ref. PS3 .A47
     An annual collection of bibliographic essays about studies of major authors, periods and genres. 1963-

*Once you have identified an article you may check to see if the journal is available at AU Library by either entering the journal title in the AU Library Catalog .

* If a journal is not available in AU's collection, nor in the research databases, you may request the article through interlibrary loan.  Please ask at the reference desk for an interlibrary loan request form.

American National Biography  Ref. CT213.A68 vol. 1-24,1999
    The American counterpart to the British Dictionary of National Biography but with greater coverage of women and minorities.
American Women Writers  Circ. PS374.H5 B39 1995
    Brief biographical articles with primary and secondary bibliographies on hundreds of American women.
Black Authors: a Selected Annotated Bibliography    Circ. Z1215 .N57 1991
British Writers    Ref. PR85 .BB688
Contemporary Authors; a Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television and Other Fields.   Print version Ref. PN453 .C61 vols. 1-177   Online version in Literature Resource Center
    Provides complete biographical and bibliographical references for more than 90,000 authors in the U.S. and around the world.
Contemporary Authors Autobiography Series    Ref  PN453 .C63
Contemporary Dramatists  Ref. PR737 .V5 1988
Contemporary Literary Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Today's Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, Scriptwriters, and Other Creative Writers   Ref. PN85 .C7  vol. 1-123
       Approximately five articles from books, articles and reviews are given for each author.  The series also includes essays on the
       literary genres, prize winners, biography and obituaries.
Contemporary Novelists  Ref. PR883 .V55 1982
Contemporary Poets   Ref. PR603 .C6 1995
Dictionary of Literary Biography Ref. PS21 .D5
    Over 200 volumes published, offering biographical and critical overviews of American, British, and world authors.
    Arranged thematically, chronologically, generically, and nationally, and include brief bibliographies.
Dictionary of National Biography Ref. DA28 .D42
    A multi-volume set chronicling deceased Britons from all periods. Helpful in tracking down obscure writers or peripheral literary
    figures. Many of the biographies are dated.
Dictionary of American Biography Ref. E176 .D56
    Biographies of deceased noteworthy persons of the United States.

Literary Reference Center (Ebsco)

A comprehensive literary reference database that provides a broad spectrum of reference information from antiquity to the present day. LRC is a completely full-text database that combines information from over 1,000 books and monographs, major literary encyclopedias and reference works, hundreds of literary journals, and unique sources not available anywhere else

Literature Resource Center (Gale)

Provides information on literary figures from all time periods writing in such genres as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, history, journalism, and more. Some of the sources it draws from are Dictionary ofLiterary Biography, Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, 19th Century Literature, 20th Century Literature, and Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. In addition it provides links to online articles from 74 literary journals and over 5,000 websites

Notable American Women, 1607-1950 Ref. CT3260 .N57
The Oxford Companion to American Literature Ref. PS21 .H3 1995
The Oxford Companion to English Literature   Ready Ref.PR19 .D73 1985 (ask at reference desk)
Dictionary of Literary Biography Ref. PS21 .D5
Nineteenth-century Literature Criticism Ref. PN761 .N56  vol. 1-80
Twentieth-century Literary Criticism Ref.  PN771 .G27  vol. 1-89

Academic Search Complete

Masterplots: 2010 Plot Stories and Essay Reviews from the World    Ref. PN44. M345
   Provides well-constructed plot summaries covering author, plot, characters, themes and criticism.
Masterplots: II: Nonfiction Series  Ref. PN44 .M345 1989
OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center  (EJC)
    Provides articles from over 1850 journal titles. Every article, including book reviews, is full-text.
Lexis-Nexis
    To find book reviews, select "Arts and Sports News,  then select "Book, Movie, Music, & Play Reviews." Updated daily.

Literary History of the United States  Circ.PS88 .L5 1953
    Selective and evaluative bibliographical essays in American literature. Entries for authors include: primary works, editions,
    biographies, criticism, bibliographies and manuscripts.
New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature    Z2011 .N45
    Comprehensive bibliography of criticism of British authors published before 1970. Entries for major authors including
    bibliographies, editions, criticism, and locations of manuscripts. Not evaluative.
Cambridge History of American Literature  Circ. PS88 .C3 v.1 -4
Oxford History of English Literature Circ PR (check catalog for individual call numbers)
    Each volume written by a leading scholar in the field. Includes substantial essays on major figures and movements, plus
    valuable primary and secondary bibliographies. Most of the volumes are dated; you might want to supplement with more
    current sources.

1. Literary, Critical, and Theoretical Terms
        New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics    Ref. PN1021 .N39 1993
       Authoritative, lengthy, and challenging articles.  Useful for an in-depth explanation but not for a quick definition.
         Dictionary of Literary Terms     Ref. PN44.5 .S46
         Dictionary of Stylistics    Circ. P301 .W35 1989

 2. Companions and Encyclopedias
        Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia    Ready Ref. PN41 .B4 1987 (ask at reference desk)
            Includes brief entries for authors, titles, characters, literary terms and movements.
        Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century   Ref. PN774. L433
        Oxford Companion to American Literature. 6th edition   Ref. PS21 .H3 1995.
           Includes biographies of American authors, analysis, description of individual works, awards and organizations.
        Oxford Companion to English Literature. Revised 5th edition  Ready Ref PR19 .D73 1985
       Interesting articles about authors, literary works and movements, characters, genres, and forms.
        The Feminist Companion to Literature in English : Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the
        Present    Ref. PR111 .B57 1990
        Masterplots: 2010 Plot Stories and Essay Reviews from the World  Ref. PN44. M345
           Provides well-constructed plot summaries covering author, plot, characters, themes and criticism.
        Masterplots: II: Nonfiction Series    Ref. PN44 .M345 1989
        Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States  Ref. PS147 .O94 1995
        Oxford Companion to African American Literature    Ref. PS153.N5 O96 1997
        Oxford Companion to American Theatre    Ref. PN2220 .B6 1992

3. Periods
        Edwardian Fiction : An Oxford Companion    Circ. PR881 .K39 1997
        Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Literature in English  Ref. PR471 .O94 1996
       Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Poetry in English  Ref. PR601 .O9 1994
       Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction    Ref. PR 871.S87 1989

4. Specific Literatures
       Encyclopedia of Utopian Literature     Ref. PN56.U8 S66 1995
       Encyclopedia of Fantasy    Ready Ref. PN3435 .E53 1997 (ask at reference desk)
       Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers    Ref. PR888.D4 T8 1985x
       Offers brief biographical and critical overviews, plus bibliographies.
       Twentieth Century Science Fiction Writers    Ref. PS374.S35 T89
       Twentieth Century Young Adult Writers     Ref. Z 1232.T9 1994.
        Encyclopedia Mythica
           Mythology, folklore, and legend in encyclopedic format.

5. Quotations & Poetry
      The American Poetry Database
            Contains the full-text of over 40,000 poem by over 200 writers from the 17th century to the early 20th century from over
            1,200 poetry collections listed in Bibliography of American Literature.
      Bartlett's Familiar Quotations or print version Ready Ref. PN6081 .B27 1992  (older editions in Ref.)
       Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry    Ready Ref. PN1021 .G7 1994 (ask at reference desk)
       May find poems by author, subject, title, first line or anthology.
       The Columbia Granger's Guide to Poetry Anthologies    Ref. PN1111 .K1 1994x
      The Database of African-American Poetry  (DAAP)
            Contains the full text of almost 3,000 poems written between 1760 and 1900.
        Guide to American Poetry Explication    Ref. Z1231.P7 G85 1989
        Guide to British Poetry Explication    Ref. PR311 .M3 1991
        Last Lines : an Index to the Last Lines of Poetry   Ref. PN1022 .K55 1992

6. Chronologies
      Annals of English Literature    Ref Z2011 .A5 1965
      Chronological Outlines of American Literature     Circ. PS94 .W4 1968
      Chronological Outlines of British Literature   Circ. PR87 .R85 1968

7. Characters in Literature
       Cyclopedia of Literary Characters    Ready Ref. PN44 .M3 1963  (ask at reference desk)
       Dictionary of Fictional Characters    Ref. PR19 .F7

8. Handbooks
       Handbook of Literary Research    Ref. PR56 .M54 1987
       Literary Research Guide    Ref. PN43. P37 1976

The Columbia Guide to Online Style
    Includes tips for documenting electronic resources in both APA and MLA.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers    Ref. and Ready Ref. LB2369 .G53 1997
  There is also a copy in Circ. and one at the Reserve Desk that may be used in the library.
Modern Library Association (MLA) FAQ
    Includes "Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web."
Writer's Market   Ready Ref PN161 .W7 2007  (there are older editions in Reference and in Circ.)

Books on the Internet
    Links from the University of Texas at Austin.

British Women Romantic Poets, 1789-1832

Editions and Adaptations of Shakespeare
       The complete text of eleven major editions of Shakespeare's works from the First Folio to the Cambridge edition of 1863-6,
        twenty-four separate contemporary printings of individual plays, selected apocrypha and related works and more than 100
        adaptations, sequels and burlesques from the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. 

Eighteenth Century Fiction
       Eighteenth Century Fiction provides the complete text of 96 works of British prose fiction, written between 1700 and 1780.

Electronic Reference Books (ABC-CLIO)
       A collection of reference books – encyclopedias, handbooks, biographical collections, guides – on many specialized        topics  from ABC-CLIO, an educational reference publisher.

The English Poetry Full-Text Database (EPD),
       Contains the full text of over 160,000 poems written in English by approximately 1,350 poets between 600 and 1900.

English Prose Drama
    Based on plays listed in the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature  that were written or intended for the stage and
    wholly or primarily in prose; English Prose Drama complements English Verse Drama.

MLA Directory of Periodicals
    Lists over 4400 periodicals in the areas of literature, language, linguistics, and folklore that are covered regularly in the MLA     International Bibliography. The directory provides addresses, advertising rates, and information about submissions for publication.

Oxford Reference Online
    Full text of about 100 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works from Oxford University Press

Project Gutenberg
    An ongoing effort to make information in the public domain easily accessible to the public.

Celebration of Women Authors
    Provides a comprehensive listing of links to biographical and bibliographical information about women writers and to complete
    published books written by women. Ongoing development of on-line editions of older, often rare, out-of-copyright works.
Early Modern Literary Studies
    A refereed journal with articles about English literature, literary culture, and language during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Ecofeminism
    From University of Southern California.
The Jack London Collection
   From Berkeley, a comprehensive site which includes biography, graphics, e-texts of London's work and a digitalized archive of
   material by London including correspondence,
The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies
    From Georgetown University.
Linguistics, Natural Language, and Computational Linguistics Meta-index
     "A guide to the best linguistic resources on the web."
Literary Locales
    Over 250 picture links to the places that figure in the lives and writings of famous authors. From San Jose State University.
Luminarium
    Medieval, Renaissance and 17th Century English Literature.
LitLine: a website for the independent literary community
    Information on small presses and literary journals, including online journals.
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
Sonnet Central
    An archive of English sonnets, commentary, pictures, and relevant web links. All of the sonnets are modernized texts for the
    general reader and are not presented for purposes of scholarly work.
A Web Companion to The Norton Anthology of English Literature
     Articles and annotated links related to the Middle Ages,  Early Sixteenth Century, the Restoration and Eighteenth Century, the
    Romantic Period, the Victorian Age, and the Twentieth Century.
William Faulkner on the Web
    Welcome to Yoknapatawpha - detailed information on Faulkner, the novels, short stories, the characters and Faulknerian
    culture, with links to other relevant sites.
Women Romantic-Era Writers
    From the University of Nottingham -  electronic texts, annuals, anthologies, gift books, and related links.

Last updated: March 22,  2007
Questions? Comments? Additions?