Rutgers Libraries:
Rutgers Online Research Databases for Literature in English

Prepared for faculty and graduate students in the Department of English, Newark campus

All descriptions copyright Rutgers Libraries and property of RUL webmaster
Extensive contributions by Kevin Mulcahy, 1999-2000

Rutgers University Library: http//:www.libraries.rutgers.edu
Dana Library: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/dana_lib.shtml

HTML adaptation by Heyward Ehrlich (ehrlich@andromeda.rutgers.edu)
Department of English, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
Ver 1.0, February 22, 2001; Ver 1.1 Enlarged print resources, February 26, 2001

Introduction:

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You can activate these external links by means of direct Rutgers network access. You may also access these external links by remote dial-up or internet access from off-campus, which may require that you configure your software to accept a Rutgers library login and password. For detailed information on these procedures, see http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/lib_servs/remote.shtml.
This guide refers to both electronic and printed materials:
ELECTRONIC MATERIALS are indicated by BLACK type in this sample TYPEFACE on an IVORY background.
PRINTED MATERIALS are indicated in BROWN type in this sample TYPEFACE on a WHITE background.
Some of these features will not be visible on older browsers -- prior to NS 4 and IE 4.
The Research Guide description of printed materials was prepared to apply to Alexander Library, New Brunswick, in 1999-2000 and is widely valid for other research libraries (Library of Congress call numbers, for example). But not all the printed resources are necessarily available at other reference collections in the Rutgers library system, such as Dana Library in Newark.

Literature in English:
Guide to Printed and Online Research Resources at Rutgers Libraries:


JUMP DOWN IN THIS FILE FOR DESCRIPTIONS		JUMP AWAY TO RUTGERS LIBRARY ONLINE
Research Guides:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_lit.shtml
Literary Histories:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_lit_hist.shtml
Biographical Sources:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_bio_sources.shtml
Encyclopedias, Handbooks and Companions:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_encyc.shtml
Book Review Sources:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_book_review.shtml
Dictionaries:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_dictionaries.shtml
Current Secondary Bibliographies and Indexes:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_curr_sec.shtml
Retrospective secondary bibliographies:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_retro_sec.shtml
Primary bibliographies:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_prime_bib.shtml
Major microform sources:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/en g_microform.shtml
Guides to Manuscript Collections:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_manu.shtml
Library Catalogs & Union Lists:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_print_catalogs.shtml
Guides to Research:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_guides.shtml
Arts and humanities:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/indexes/arts_hum/arts_hum.shtml
Trial indexes and databases:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/indexes/trial_indexes.shtml
General and multidisciplinary:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/indexes/general/general.shtml
Electronic Ready Reference Shelf:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/e_ref_shelf/e_ref_shelf.shtml
Books and Writing:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/e_ref_shelf/refwriting.shtml
Related Internet Resources:		http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/internet.shtml

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Kevin Mulcahy, English & American Literature Librarian, August 14, 2000 (mulcahy@rci.rutgers.edu)
Research & Reference Gateway: -- Research Guides: -- Literatures in English

Rutgers University has more than 20 libraries on 7 campuses in three cities. Alexander Library is the oldest and largest, and it is the one that serves as the research collection for literatures in English. All of the reference works and microform collections listed in this guide are located in Alexander Library unless otherwise specified. All of the services described here are available at all of the Rutgers libraries and from the Rutgers computer network. Researchers should know that for a variety of historical and geographical reasons, there are significant collections for the study of literatures in English at four other Rutgers libraries: the Dana Library in Newark and the Robeson Library in Camden (both of which support Master's level programs in English); and the Kilmer and Douglass Libraries in New Brunswick. In addition, researchers, especially those engaged in interdisciplinary topics, should be aware of the Laurie Music Library (housed within the Douglass) and the Art Library (in Voorhees Hall). Note should also be made of Special Collections and Archives, housed on the basement level of Alexander Library, where the major manuscript and rare book collections reside.

Libraries & Collections at Rutgers: John Cotton Dana Library

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/dana_lib.shtml/

Libraries & Collections at Rutgers:
John Cotton Dana Library in Newark

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/dana_lib.shtml"

John Cotton Dana Library

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

185 University Avenue

Newark, New Jersey 07102-1814

Administration Phone: 973/353-5222
Reference Desk: 973/353-5901
Fax: 973/353-1133

IRIS

Indexes & Databases

Research & Reference

Gateway

Off-Campus Support

Digital Library Projects

Ask a Librarian

Library Guides

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/dana_lib.shtml
RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster
Copyright 2001, Rutgers University Libraries (Further Copyright Information)

Courseware & Library Guides

URL: http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/guides/
Courseware and Library Guides (Dana Library)
Revised 5 December 2000
This Table of Contents leads to outlines, handouts, and pathfinders for instructional classes, developed by librarians at Dana Library.

Humanities

Aegean Archaeology

African American History (512:334)

African American Literature

American Poetry (352:376)

Art History (082:497)

British Poetry (350:102)

Civilization of the Middle Ages (510:328)

Classical World (510:319)

Development of the U.S. (510:201)

English & American Literature

European Writers

General History Resources

History of Medicine (510:379)

History of Russia and the Soviet Union (510:367 and 510:368)

Literary Criticism (350:102 and 350:122)

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

Spanish Literature (940:207)

Spanish Literature: Selected Resources (DANA)

War and Society (510:382)

Ka-Neng Au (au@andromeda.rutgers.edu)
URL: http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/guides/

John Cotton Dana Library: English and American Literature

URL: http://newarkwww.rutgers.edu/guides/englit.htm"

English & American Literature

Encyclopedias & Handbooks

Biographical Sources

Bibliographies

Serial Bibliographies & Indexes

Book Review Sources

Internet Resources

Encyclopedias & Handbooks

Elliott, Emory. Columbia Literary History of the United States (REF PS 92.C64 1988).

Oxford Companion to American Literature (REF PS 21.H3 1995).

Oxford Companion to English Literature (REF PR 19.D73 1985).

Brief articles on authors, literary works, characters and plots, literary allusions, etc.

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

Comprehensive multi-volume history of English literature (see Harner, Literary Research Guide, REF PR 83.H37 1993, for list of titles).

Biographical Sources

American Writers (REF PS 129 .A55).

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (REF CT 214 .B56)

This indexes more than 500 biographical dictionaries which contain more than 5,000,000 biographical sketches and is extremely useful if you cannot readily locate

information on a particular author.

British Writers (REF PR 85 .B688).

Contemporary Literary Criticism (REF PN 771 .C59).

The Critical Perspective: Twentieth Century Criticism of British and American Literature to 1904 (REF PR 85 .76 1985).

Critical Survey of Long Fiction (REF PR 821 .C7 1983).

Dictionary of American Biography (REF E 176 .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 PS 88 .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.

Dictionary of National Biography (REF DA 28 .D48).

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

Reference Guide to English Literarure (REF PR 106 .R44 1991).

The Romantics Reviewed: Contemporary Reviews of British Romantic Writers (REF PR 590 .R43).

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 PR 83 .B74 1990 V.2).

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 PR 56 .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 PN 695 .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 MILTON, JOHN

- BIBLIOGRAPHY and click on SUBJECT to locate bibliographies of writings by and about John Milton.

Serial Bibliographies & Indexes

MLA International Bibliography, 1921+ (1950 + on Index Table; 1921-1968 in Periodicals, bound with PMLA; RU-ONLINE 1963+ ).

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 PS 3 .A47)

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 Z 2011 .M69).

Annual bibliography of English & American literature, including books, pamphlets, periodical articles, and references to reviews of works listed.

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

Indexes collections of essays.

Humanities Index, (1974+ on Index Table; RU-ONLINE 1983+ )

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, (Index Area).

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1907 (REF AI 3 .P7).

UnCover, (RU-ONLINE 1988+ )

Includes information taken from the tables of contents of more than 10,000 journals in many disciplines. The database is updated on a daily basis which makes this

valuable to supplement and to update the citations in the MLA International Bibliography. This can be searched by author, keyword, and journal title.

Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900 (REF Z 2005 .H6).

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

Year's Work in English Studies, 1947-51, 1958-59, 1961+ (REF PE 58 .E6).

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 Z 2011 .M69).

American Reference Books Annual, 1970+. (REF Z 1035.1 .A55).

Book Review Digest, 1905+ (Index Table).

Book Review Index, 1965+ (Index Table).

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974 (REF Z 1035 .A1 C62)

Humanities Index, (1974+ on Index Table; RU-ONLINE 1983+ ).

Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities, 1960-1990 (REF Z 1219 .I5).

Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1789-1797 (REF PR 442 .W36 1979).

Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1821-1826 (REF PR 453 .W36 1977).

19th Century Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (REF AI 3 .R496).

Internet Resources

Literary Resources on the Net

URL: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu:80/~jlynch/Lit/

Literatures in English

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_lit.shtml

Voice of the Shuttle: English Literature Main Page

URL: http://vos,ucsb.edu/shuttle/english.html

Adapted from a library guide prepared at the Robeson Library in Camden
Tammy Ann Syrek-Marshall and Yoshiko Ishii
4 February 2000
For questions and comments, send email to syrek@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Indexes and databases

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/indexes/indexes.shtml

see also Forthcoming/Trial Indexes & Databases

The resources below are indexes to articles in journals, magazines and newspapers, as well as collections of full-text materials. Each online index gives citations to articles; some provide the articles themselves. To find the entire article when only citations are provided, you must search for the periodical title in IRIS. If Rutgers does not own the title, you may request it using Interlibrary Loan within IRIS. Procedures for downloading, emailing, and printing are provided for most resources. You may print these instructions before beginning your search, or view them while searching by opening a second browser window. Additional, unrestricted indexes in paper and other formats are included in many of our subject specific Research Guides. Telnet access is also available.

First time off-campus users must set up their web browser for remote access.

By Title

ABI/INFORM (Business Index)

AccessUN

Academic Universe (Lexis-Nexis)

African American Poetry Database

Agricola

AIDSLINE

Alcohol Studies Database

America: History and Life

Anthropological Literature

Applied Science & Technology

Art Abstracts

ARTbibliographies Modern

ARTFL: American Research on the Treasury of the French

Language

Arts & Humanities Citation Index

Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals

Beilstein CrossFire

Bibliography of the History of Art

BioethicsLine

BIOSIS Previews

Biological & Agricultural Index

Business Abstracts

Business & Industry Database

CAB Abstracts

CamdenBase

CancerLit

Chicano Database

CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online

CINAHL (Nursing)

Contemporary Women's Issues

CountryWatch

Digital Dissertations

Dow Jones Interactive

Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Database

EconLit

EEBO - Early English Books Online

Engineering Index (EI Compendex)

English Poetry Database

Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management index

ERIC - Education-related materials abstracts

Ethnic NewsWatch

FIS online

FRANCIS

General Science Abstracts

Georef

GPO - U.S. Government Printing Office Index

Hand Press Books

Handbook of Latin American Studies

Health & Psychosocial Instruments

HealthSTAR

Hispanic-American Periodicals Index

Historical Abstracts

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

Humanities Abstracts

IDEAL

Index of Christian Art

Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals

Index to 19th-Century American Art Periodicals

Inside Information Plus

INSPEC

Iter: Gateway to the Renaissance

JSTOR

Left Index

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

Library Literature & Information Science

Life Sciences with Bioengineering Index

Literature Resource Center (Gale)

MathSciNet

Medline

MLA International Bibliography

Music Index

Newspaper Abstracts

Oxford English Dictionary

PAIS - Public Affairs Information Service

Philosopher's Index

PreMedline

Project MUSE

ProQuest Research Library

PsycINFO

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature

Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies

SCIPIO Art and Rare Book Sales Catalogs

Science Citation Index

ScienceDirect

SciFinder Scholar

Shepard's Citations

Social Science Electronic Data Library

Social Sciences Abstracts

Social Sciences Citation Index

Social Work Abstracts

SocioFile

Standards Infobase

Statistical Universe

TableBase

Turfgrass

UnCover - Multidisciplinary Periodicals Index

Web of Science

Women Writers Online

World Law Index - Index to Hispanic Legislation

World News Connection

By Subject

Arts & Humanities

Art

General Arts & Humanities

History

Language & Linguistics

Literature

Music

Philosophy & Religion

General & Multidisciplinary

Current Events & Newspapers

Dissertations

Government Publications

Journals

Reference Tools

Statistics / Data

Table of Contents

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/indexes/indexes.shtml"
RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster
Copyright 2001, Rutgers University Libraries (Further Copyright Information)

Remote access setup:

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/lib_servs/remote.shtml

http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/libs/dana_lib/dana_lib.shtml

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Kevin Mulcahy, English & American Literature Librarian, Last updated: August 1999 (mulcahy@rci.rutgers.edu)
Research & Reference Gateway: -- Research Guides: -- Literatures in English: -- Literary Histories

Use this guide to find information on a literary period or movement or to contextualize a particular author or work. While recent histories are often the most helpful, because of up-to-date scholarship and sensitivity to current critical trends, older histories can provide valuable insights into the mind sets and canons of earlier periods.

All these works can be found in Alexander Library.

Cambridge History of American Literature. Ref. PS 92.C34.

The beginnings of a multi- volume history. As of Spring, 1999, Volume 1 (1590-1820), Volume 2 (Prose Writing 1820-1865), and Volume 8 (Poetry & Criticism 1940-1995) are available.

Columbia History of the American Novel. Ref. PS 371.C7 1991.

Columbia History of American Poetry. Ref. PS 303.C64 1993.

Columbia History of the British Novel. Ref. PR 821.C65 1994.

Columbia History of British Poetry. Ref. PR 502.C62 1994.

Obviously Columbia University Press is getting into literary histories in a big way. All of these have the advantage of reflecting current critical approaches and biases.

Columbia Literary History of the United States. Ref. PS 92.C64 1988.

A relatively current general history, with contributions by many scholars. Includes greater attention to the role of women and minorities than did most previous histories.

Oxford History of English Literature. Ref. PR 83.O9.

An older multi-volume set, 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, but they remain highly readable and informative, though they should be supplemented by more current sources. The older volumes will also be of interest as indicative of earlier critical approaches.

Oxford Literary History of Australia. Ref. PR 9604.3.O83 1998.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_lit_hist.shtml

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Kevin Mulcahy, English & American Literature Librarian, Last updated: August 1999 (mulcahy@rci.rutgers.edu)
Biographical Sources:

Use to find information, brief or comprehensive, on literary figures, living and dead, famous and obscure.

Full-length biographies of literary figures can be found by checking the individual as subject in IRIS, the Card Catalog, or EUREKA. The library also owns numerous biographical references in other subject areas and for other nationalities; for additional help, consult Reference.

American National Biography. Ref. CT213.A68 1999 (24 volumes).

Replaces Dictionary of American Biography (DAB--Ref. E 176.D563), the American counterpart to the British Dictionary of National Biography which had many of the same strengths and weaknesses. The new set is much better in its coverage of women and minorities.

American Women Writers. Ref. PS 147.A4.

Women had traditionally been under-represented in works like the DNB and DAB, so titles like this four-volume set and the previous listing help to compensate for the omissions. Brief biographical articles with primary and secondary bibliographies on hundreds of American women.

Biographical Books, 1876-1949. Ref. CT 104.B56.

Biographical Books, 1950-1980. Ref. CT 104.B68.

These two volumes comprise a bibliography of full-length biographies, arranged by subject of the biography. Dates in the title refer to composition of biographies, not the life spans of the subjects.

Biography Index. Ref. Z 5301.B5 (quarterly with annual cumulations).

Cites biographical books and articles (including interviews and magazine profiles).

British Biographical Archive. Microfiche 469.

A compilation of 324 biographical reference works published between 1601 and 1929, providing information on more than 170,000 names. See the four volume index, British Biographical Index, at Ref. CT 773.B75 1990.

Contemporary Authors. Ref. CT 101.C65.

Brief biographical and bibliographical data, mostly on living or recently deceased authors. A good source for information on writers just reaching prominence. Another huge, ongoing set with frequent updates. See also the following three titles with narrower focus: Contemporary Dramatists (Ref. PN1625.V5); Contemporary Novelists (Ref. PR 883.C67); and Contemporary Poets (Ref. PR 603.C6). Dictionary of British and American Women Writers, 1660-1800. Ref. PR 113.D5. 1985 Another revisionist work. See also the following three titles--Encyclopedia of British Women Writers (Ref. PR 111.S34 1988), British Women Writers (Ref PR 111.B75 1989), and Biographical Dictionary of English Women Writers, 1580-1720 (Ref. PR 113.B46 1990).

Dictionary of Literary Biography. Ref. PS 88.D57.

A huge set (around 200 volumes published, with no end in sight) offering biographical and critical overviews of American, British, and world authors. Probably designed more for undergraduates, but still of use to advanced students. Arranged thematically, chronologically, generically, and nationally, with good brief bibliographies. Recent issues have included volumes on major publishing houses. See also the spinoff Documentary Series (Ref. PS 129.D48) for photographs, facsimiles of manuscripts and typescripts, and other interesting documents relating to authors and literary movements.

Dictionary of National Biography. Ref. DA 28.D48.

The famous multi-volume set chronicling deceased Britons from all periods. Helpful in tracking down obscure writers or peripheral literary figures. Be warned, however, that many of the biographies are more than a century-old, and thus lag well behind recent scholarship and often manifest marked biases. A fascinating look into the late Victorian mind-set. A new set is in preparation.

NoTABLE bgcolor="tan" American Women, 1607-1950. Ref. CT 3620.N57.

Also a supplementary volume.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_bio_sources.shtml

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

--Use to find definitions of literary terms, to identify characters or allusions or quotations, to check proper formats for footnotes or bibliographies, or to check dates.

Page Contents:

Literary, Critical, and Theoretical Terms

Companions and Encyclopedias

Special Topics

Popular Literatures

Quotations & Poem Locators

Chronologies

Characters in Literature

Miscellaneous

Literary, Critical, and Theoretical Terms

**New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Ref. PN 1021.P75 1993.

Authoritative, lengthy, and challenging articles--A valuable source for research, but not the place for a quick definition.

A-Z Guide to Modern Literary and Cultural Theorists. Ref. PN 74.A2 1995.

Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ref. PN 81.C84 1995.

This volume, co-edited by Frank Lentricchia, features substantive essays on 28 key concepts, by major critics.

Dictionary of Critical Theory. Ref. PN 98.S6O77 1991.

Dictionary of Cultural Theorists. Ref. PN 74.D53 1999.

Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Ref. PN 41.C83 1998.

Valuable for its coverage of theory.

Dictionary of Stylistics. Ref. P 301.W35 1989.

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory. Ref. PN 81.E43 1993.

Articles on critical schools/approaches, major critics or theorists, and key concepts.

Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism. Ref. PN 41.E53 1990.

Substantial essays on literary genres and periods, and on critical approaches like Deconstruction and Feminism.

Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory. Ref. PN 44.5.H37 1998.

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. Ref. Z 6514.C97J64 1994.

Articles, often substantial, on theories, movements, and individual theorists. A good place to find an introduction to Foucault or Bakhtin.

Literary Terms: A Dictionary. Ref. PN 44.5.B334.

More concise and easy to use than the New Princeton Encyclopedia. Also covers genres slighted by that title. Good for brief references.

Companions and Encyclopedias

National Literatures

**Oxford Companion to American Literature. 6th edition. Ref. PS 21.H3 1995.

**Oxford Companion to English Literature. Revised 5th edition. Ref. PR 19.D 73.

The Oxford Companions are a browser's delight as well as a valuable aid in research. There are articles on authors, literary works and movements, characters, genres, forms, etc. It's worth having one on your desk. Earlier editions provide insight into literary and critical fashion and canon formation. Note too that there are Companions for other major national literatures (including Canadian, Irish, Scots, Australian, Spanish, French, and German, two from a feminist perspective--Feminist Companion to Literature in English (Ref. PR 111.F46 1990) and Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States (Ref. PS 147.O94), the Oxford Companion to African American Literature (Ref. PS 153.N5906 1997), and Oxford Companion to American Theatre (Ref. PN 2220.B6 1992).

Cambridge Guide to Fiction in English. Ref. PR 821.O97 1998.

Encyclopedia of American Literature. Ref. PS 21.E53 1999.

Similar to the Oxford Companions but featuring somewhat longer articles on authors, genres, and movements.

Periods

�These works are similar to the Oxford Companions cited above, but with a more restricted focus.

Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1650-1740. Ref. PR 437.C36 1998.

Companion to Victorian Literature and Culture. Ref. PR 461.C597 1999.

Edwardian Fiction : An Oxford Companion. Ref. PR 881.K39 1997.

Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century. Ref. PS 316.E63 1998.

Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Literature in English. Ref. PR 471.O94 1996.

Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century Poetry in English. Ref. PR 601.O9 1994.

A Reader's Guide to Twentieth-Century Writers. Ref. PR 471.R43 1995.

Includes British, American, and Commonwealth authors.

Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction. Ref. PR 871.S87 1989.

Special Topics

�Here the focus is on a type of literature or geographical region.

Encyclopedia of Allegorical Literature. Ref PN 56.A5L44.

Encyclopedia of Apocalyptic Literature. Ref. PN 56.A69Z56 1996.

Encyclopedia of Frontier Literature. Ref. PS 169.F7 1997

Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Ref. PR 9080.A52E53 1994.

A two- volume set with articles on authors and national literatures.

Encyclopedia of Satirical Literature. Ref. PN6149.S2S56 1996.

Encyclopedia of Southern Literature. Ref. PS 261.S515 1997.

Encyclopedia of the Essay. Ref. PN 4500.E63 1997.

Encyclopedia of the Novel. Ref. PN 41.E54 1998. 2 volumes.

Encyclopedia of Utopian Literature. Ref. PN 56.U8S66 1995.

Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage: A Reader's Companion to the Writers and Their Works, from Antiquity to the Present. Ref. PN 56.H57G365 1995.

Popular Literatures

Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Ref. PN 3435.L55 1997.

Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Ref. PN 3433.4.E53 1993.

A highly regarded work with a real awareness of critical and theoretical trends.

Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers. Ref. PR 888.D4T8 1991.

This title, and the following four from the same publisher, offer brief biographical and critical overviews, plus bibliographies.

Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers. Ref. PR 888.L69T87 1994

Twentieth Century Science Fiction Writers. Ref. PR 374.S39T89 1986.

Twentieth Century Western Writers. Ref. PS 271.T84 1991.

Twentieth Century Young Adult Writers. Ref. Z 1232.T9 1994.

Quotations & Poem Locators

Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Ref. PN 6081.B27 1992.

The most famous and still one of the best sources for tracking down the elusive quotation. Browse this area in reference and you will find numerous other quotation sources.

Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. Ref. PN1022.H39 1994.

The 10th edition of a famous reference source which enables you to find poems by author, subject, title, and first line�and find anthologies in which they are reprinted. See also the following two titles.

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry.

CD-ROM. Available at Reference Desk. A handy way of tracking down poetry quotations, the full text of many public domain poems, and citations of poems reprinted in anthologies.

Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry in Collected and Selected Works. Ref. PN1022.C63 1996.

A complement to the traditional Granger's, which focused on anthologies only.

Last Lines : an Index to the Last Lines of Poetry. Ref. PN1022.K55 1992.

Granger's allows you to look by first line�this one gives access by the last line.

Chronologies

Annals of American Literature, 1602-1983. Ref. PS 94.L83 1986.

This and the following two titles are chronologies, useful for setting a work in its context--or for reviewing for qualifying exams.

Annals of English Literature. Ref Z 2011.A5.

Chronological Outline of British Literature. Ref. PR 87.R57 1980.

Characters in Literature

Characters in 20th-Century Literature. Ref. PN 56.4.C 4 1990.

The next few titles, like this one, identify characters and set them in their proper context.

Cyclopedia of Literary Characters. Ref. PN 44.M3 1998. 5 volumes.

Covers 3300 titles in all languages, from the Greek classics to current popular fiction.

Dictionary of American Literary Characters. Ref. PS 374.C43D5 1990.

Dictionary of British Literary Characters: 18th and 19th Century Novels. Ref. PR 830.C47D5 1993.

Dictionary of Fictional Characters. Ref. PR 19.F7 1974.

Imaginary People: A Who's Who of Modern Fictional Characters. Ref. PN 56.4.P75 1987.

Miscellaneous

MLA Guide to the Job Search: A Handbook for Departments and for PhDs and PhD Candidates in English and Foreign Languages. Ref. PB 11.C37 1996.

MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 2nd edition. Ref. PN 147.G444 1998.

The essential guide to documentation. Buy a copy so you don't have to run to the library each time you write a paper or article.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_encyc.shtml

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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

-Use to track down initial critical responses to literary texts or to gauge the reception of critical texts.

* denotes that recent years are located on the index tables in front of the Reference Desk.

Book Review Digest. (1906+). Ref. AI 3.B64.*

Includes citations and brief excerpts of reviews; covers relatively few journals, mostly non-scholarly (e.g. New Yorker).

Book Review Index. (1965+). Ref. AI 3.B642.*

Includes more reviews than BRD, but omits the excerpts.

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals, 1886-1974. Ref. Z 1035.A1C64.

Best for tracking down reviews of older critical works, though some literary texts are included.

Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974. Ref. Z 1035.A1C62.

Similar to the preceding title, though with a greater time span and a focus on humanities journals.

Guide to Critical Reviews of United States Fiction, 1870-1910. Ref. Z 1225.E35. 2 volumes.

Humanities Abstracts. (1974+).

Available from the Libraries' Indexes page. Includes reviews from scholarly journals; search by name of author being reviewed followed by the code (ra)�include the parenthesis.

Index to Book Reviews in the Humanities. (1960-91). Ref. Z 1219.I5. An annual, recently ceased.

Literary Reviews in British Periodicals, 1798-1820: A Bibliography. Ref Z 2013.W36. 2 volumes.

A real aid to research. Find early reviews of Austen, Edgeworth, Mary Shelley, and Scott, among others. See also the following volumes.

Index to Book Reviews in England, 1749-1774. Ref. Z 1035.A1F67 1990.

Index to Book Reviews in England, 1775-1800. Ref. Z 1035.A1F67 1997.

The Romantics Reviewed: Contemporary Reviews of British Romantic Writers. PR590.R43. 9 volumes.

A handy collection of reviews of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, Shelley and more.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_book_review.shtml

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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

-Use to find definitions, current and historical, English and foreign, as well as etymologies, pronunciation, etc.

-- For those working on colonial and post colonial literatures, there are also dictionaries of Indian English, Jamaican English, Australian English, etc.

**Oxford English Dictionary. Ref. PE 1625.N53 1933.

Probably the most important dictionary for students of English and American literature. Tells you what words meant at different stages of their development. Now in a 2nd edition which incorporates all of the supplements in a single alphabetical sequence. Also available on CD-ROM in Alexander (See the CD-ROM's page in this guide).

Chaucer Glossary. Ref. PR 1941.C5.

Dictionary of American Regional English. Ref. PE 2843.D52 1985.

Three volumes so far of a major set exploring local variations in American English. Essential for Americanists.

Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Ref. PE 3721.P3.

By Eric Partridge, one of the great lexicographers.

Dictionary of the English Language. Ref. PE 1620.J6.

Samuel Johnson's magnificent dictionary is still an important and delightful source. Note that the Bloustein Dictionary Collection (housed in Special Collections) includes a first edition and several other early editions of Johnson--plus numerous other early dictionaries, including Noah Webster's.

English Dialect Dictionary. Ref. PE 1766.W951E.

6 volumes, now nearly a century-old.

Gutter Life and Language in the Early "Street" Literature of England. Ref. PE 3724.O3H44.

Focuses on the 16th and 17 centuries. A fascinating exploration of sexual and scatological abuse in the language of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Harper Dictionary of Foreign Terms. Ref. PE 1670.M3 1990.

A helpful source when you encounter writers who use phrases from languages you do not know.

Historical Dictionary of American Slang. Ref. PE 2846.H57 1994.

Two volumes (so far) of another massive set.

Juba to Jive. Ref. PE 3727.N4M34 1994b.

A fascinating look at African-American English.

Middle English Dictionary. Ref. PE 679.M5.

A vast, multi-volume project, still under way. As of 7/99 in the "V"s.

Middle English Dictionary. Ref. PE 679.S7 1891A.

A one-volume concise dictionary.

Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Ref. PE 1580.O53.

One of several good etymological dictionaries.

Shakespeare's Language: A Glossary of Unfamiliar Words in His Plays and Poems. Ref. PR 2892.S447 1996.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_dictionaries.shtml"
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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

-Use to locate criticism, scholarship, and literary theory. Most of these are annuals; a few are updated more frequently.

**MLA International Bibliography. Ref. Z 6511.M62 (1921+).

Also available online. The single most comprehensive and exhaustive index in literary studies. Covers not just English and American literature, but all literature in modern languages (plus linguistics, folklore, cinema studies, etc.). An essential source for all students of literature.

Abstracts of English Studies. Ref. Z 2011.A27 (1958-1991).

Includes brief, non-evaluative summaries of articles and books on English and American literature (and other English- language literatures).

American Literary Scholarship. Ref. PS 3.A47 (1963+).

Unlike the MLA, ALS does not merely list bibliographic citations; instead, it features bibliographic essays by scholars who analyze critical trends and evaluate major studies. Arranged by periods and genres, and featuring chapters on major figures like Melville and Dickinson. Annual, but usually two years or more behind.

Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature. Ref. Z 2011.M689A (1920-1996).

Focuses on English and American literature, and for those areas, nearly as comprehensive as MLA. Divided into chronological periods, and then subdivided by author. Also includes sections on language, bibliography, folklore, computing in the humanities, etc.

Annual Bibliography of Victorian Studies. Ref. Z 2019.A641 (1976+).

Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Ref. AI 3.A76 (1978+).

Though difficult to use, a good index for interdisciplinary topics. Indexed by author and title keyword, and also allows citation searching--checking for who has cited a classic critical or scholarly text. Semi- annual, with annual cumulations.

The Eighteenth Century: A Current Bibliography. Ref. Z 2011.E61 (1970+).

A continuation and expansion of English Literature 1660-1800, A Bibliography of Modern Studies (Ref. Z 2011.E6) which included criticism and scholarship published from 1926 to 1969. Covers history, philosophy, religion, science, fine arts, etc., as well as literature in America, Britain, and the Continent. Many of the entries are annotated, some quite extensively. A wonderful interdisciplinary bibliography, but its usefulness is limited by slow publication. The volume for 1991 just appeared in 1998.

Essay and General Literature Index. Ref. AI 3.E752 (1900+).

Indexes collections of essays. Very selective, but a useful adjunct to the more comprehensive indexes. Semi-annual, with annual and quinquennial cumulations.

Film Literature Index. Ref. PN 1993.F53 (1973+).

Good coverage of film periodicals, both popular and more scholarly. Quarterly plus annual cumulations. MLA also covers film.

Humanities Index. Ref. AI 3.R472 (1974-1998).

Also available online (as Humanities Abstracts). Covers the key journals in all the Humanities and is much less comprehensive than any of the preceding annuals.

Index to Black Periodicals. Ref. AI 3.O4. (1950+).

Covers roughly 40 scholarly and popular titles. Selective, but of some use.

International Bibliography of Theatre. Ref. PN 1561.I6835 (1982+).

Focuses more on performance than on drama as literature, but still of use for some students. Another very slow annual (complete through 1996 as of 7/99).

International Index to Film Periodicals. Ref. PN 1993.I49 (1972+).

Another source for film criticism and scholarship, with better coverage of foreign films and critics.

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906. Ref. AI3.P7.

A subject and author index to nearly 500 British and American periodicals. Flawed, but still tremendously useful.

Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals, 1824-1900. Ref. Z 2005.H6. 5 volumes.

Indexes prose contents of 43 major periodicals. No real subject indexing (though see Poole's); rather, the tables of contents for individual issues, chronologically arranged, with bibliographies of contributors. An invaluable source for Victorianists.

Year's Work in English Studies. Ref. PE 58.E58AY (1919-1994).

Features selective and evaluative bibliographic essays on English and American literature. Another good source for identifying major critical trends, but again, timeliness is a concern. From 1981 through 1990, YWES offered a most helpful chapter on literary theory.

Year's Work in Modern Language Studies. Ref. PB 1.Y39 (1929+).

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_curr_sec.shtml"

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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Kevin Mulcahy, English & American Literature Librarian, Last updated: August 1999 (mulcahy@rci.rutgers.edu)
Research & Reference Gateway:-- Research Guides: -- Literatures in English: -- Retrospective Secondary Bibliographies

-Use to locate criticism and scholarship. Here the coverage is cumulative, over a specified period of time, not annual.

Many additional bibliographies can be found by checking IRIS or by browsing in the appropriate sections of the reference collection. Primary and secondary bibliographies for most major and many minor authors are also available. Check under IRIS, using the author as subject, and the subdivision "bibliography." For example:

AUSTEN, JANE, 1775-1817--BIBLIOGRAPHY

ENGLISH POETRY--18TH CENTURY--BIBLIOGRAPHY

HARLEM RENAISSANCE--BIBLIOGRAPHY

**New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. Ref. Z 2011.C351 1971.

Perhaps the single most comprehensive source for English literature. Unlike MLA it includes both primary and secondary works. Thorough in its coverage through 1970, though not often reflecting newer views of the canon. A long-needed revision is due out in several volumes over the next four or five years.

American Fiction to 1900. Ref. Z 1231.F4K57.

American Fiction, 1900-1950. Ref. Z 1231.F4W64.

These companion volumes offer general bibliographic essays on the American novel, and bibliographic essays on about ninety novelists. The essays on novelists include biographical notes, listings of bibliographies and manuscript holdings, and surveys of the critical literature.

American Women Writers: Bibliographical Essays. Ref. Z 1229.W8A44 1983.

Articles on American Literature, 1900-1950. Ref Z 1225.L49.

Articles on American Literature, 1950-1967. Ref. Z 1225.L492.

Articles on American Literature, 1968-1975. Ref. Z 1225.A77.

These three volumes together comprise an extensive listing of 75 years of journal articles, obviating the need to plough through year after year of the MLA for older articles.

Black American Women Novelists. Ref. Z 1229.N39W47 1987.

Contemporary Critical Theory: A Selected Bibliography. Ref. PN 81.M37 1993.

Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Ref. PS 374.N63C66 1993.

Typical of reference works providing biographical notes and (usually) selected primary and secondary bibliographies for writers in a particular group.

English Novel. Ref. Z 2014.F5D94.

Bibliographic essays on major figures from Bunyan to Joyce. Typical of a variety of bibliographies focusing on genres or periods.

Feminist Literary Criticism. Ref. Z 6514.C97F76 1988.

Covers journal articles from 1975 to 1981. One hopes it will be the first of a series.

Fifty Southern Writers After 1900: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook. Ref. PS 261.F54 1987.

Fifty Southern Writers Before 1900: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook. Ref. PS 261.F543 1987.

Manual of the Writings in Middle English, 1050-1400. Ref. PR255.S4 [1967+]. 10 volumes +.

Like the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature, the Manual includes both primary and secondary bibliographies. "Each chapter (and sometimes sections thereof) has two parts: (1) the commentary, which for each work discusses content, manuscripts, date, dialect, source, and form, and summarizes scholarship and critical trends; (2) a classified bibliography (with sections for manuscripts, editions, textual matters, language, versification, date, authorship, sources, literary criticism and bibliography)" [Harner]. Of course the bibliographies of the earlier volumes are now quite dated, but this series is still essential for serious medievalists.

Women in Literature: Criticism of the Seventies. Ref. Z 6514.C5W64.

Continued by More Women in Literature: Criticism of the Seventies. (Ref. Z 6514.C5W644).

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_retro_sec.shtml"

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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

These are guides to poems, plays, novels, and other literary works, not to the scholarship. Use them to find the collections in which a poem or story appeared, or to get a more complete list of an author's works. [Section still under construction]

General (All Genres)

American Bibliography: A Chronological Dictionary of All Books, Pamphlets, and Periodical Publications Printed in the United States from the Genesis of Printing in 1637 to and Including the Year 1820. Ref. Z 1215.E92A.

One of the great works of bibliography, by Charles Evans, who sought to list every work published in the American colonies and the United States. Evans's work is flawed, with numerous errors and notorious "ghost" citations of non-existent works, and it is gradually being superseded and corrected by the English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1800

(See this guide's Catalogs page), but it is still a tremendously important work. Each of Evans's original 13 volumes includes author and subject indexes, but the researcher will do better to use National Index of American Imprints Through 1800�The Short-Title Evans (Ref. Z 1215.S495), which cites an additional 10,000 works, making numerous corrections. Evans's work was continued by Shaw and Shoemaker, who took the bibliography up through 1839 (1801-1819�Ref. Z 1215.S43; 1820-1839�Ref. Z 1215.C44. Microprint copies of the works listed in Evans and in Shaw and Shoemaker (through 1820) are available in Alexander Library in the Early American Imprints series (See this guide's Major Microform Collections page).

Bibliography of American Literature. Ref. Z 1225.B55. 9 volumes.

Includes bibliographies of 281 writers (who died no later than 1930). Does not include periodical publications. Lists first editions and reprints (though not comprehensive in that regard) plus biographies and bibliographies. Still quite useful, especially for writers lacking comprehensive bibliographic treatment by later sources.

Comprehensive Index to English Language Little Magazines, 1890-1970. Ref. Z 6944.L5S23. 8 volumes.

Author index (including works by and about) to 100 periodicals, mostly US and British. Not really comprehensive, but still helpful.

Literary Writings in America: A Bibliography. Ref. Z 1225.L58. 8 volumes.

Contains 250,000 records from a WPA project intended to create an exhaustive list of creative works by American writers between 1850 and 1940. Incomplete, inconsistent, and definitely not authoritative, it does have the benefit of allowing scholars to trace at least some of the periodical publications -- especially for minor writers.

Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640. 2nd edition. Ref. Z 2002.P77.

Often cited by the names of the editors, Pollard and Redgrave, this is an enormously important bibliography of all the books published in the British Isles�or in the English language elsewhere�from the beginning of printing to the advent of the English Civil War. The Bibliographic records are being incorporated into the English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1800 (See this guide's Catalogs page). The books cited in Pollard & Redgrave are available in the Early English Books, 1465-1640 microprint collection (See this guide's Major Microform Collections page).

Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641-1700. 2nd edition. Ref. Z 2002.W52.

Similar in format to the Pollard and Redgrave STC, this set, often called by the name of its editor, Donald Wing, lists all of the books published during the Civil War, Commonwealth, Restoration, and Glorious Revolution. As with Pollard & Redgrave, the bibliographic records for the Wing STC, are being incorporated into the electronic English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1800 (See this guide's Catalogs page). The books cited in Wing are available in the Early English Books, 1640-1700 microprint collection (See this guide's Major Microform Collections page).

Fiction and Other Prose

American Fiction, 1774-1850. Ref. Z 1231.F4W9 1969

American Fiction, 1851-1875. Ref. Z 1231.F4W92 1965

American Fiction, 1876-1900. Ref. Z 1231.W93.

These three volumes, by Lyle Wright, list American editions of separately published American fiction�novels, romances, captivity narratives, dime-novels, tall tales, etc.

American Fiction, 1901-1925. Ref. Z 1231.F4S6 1997.

Editor Gregory Smith explicitly follows the model of Wright's three volumes (previous item). "A compilation of first printings of original fiction for adults by American authors published in the U.S. from 1901 to 1925." Arranged by author, with indices by title, illustrator, and publisher. Based on the William Charvat Collection of American Fiction at the Ohio State University Libraries (though drawing also on the holdings of NY Public Library and the Library of Congress, among others).

Bibliography of American Children's Books Printed Prior to 1821. Z 1232.W44 1972.

Arranged by author with indexes. Includes locations and a fair degree of bibliographic description, plus cross reference to the Early American Imprints microform sets owned at Alexander See this guide's Major Microform Collections page).

British Fiction, 1750-1770 : A Chronological Check-list of Prose Fiction Printed in Britain and Ireland. Ref. Z 2014. F4R34 1987.

Chronological arrangement of 1363 entries with author or translator and title indices.

Check List of English Prose Fiction, 1700-1739. Ref. Z 2014.F4M3. Includes narratives by English authors or translators first published during this period. A chronological arrangement with author, title, translator, publisher, and printer indices.

Check List of Prose Fiction Published in England, 1740-1749. Z 2014.F4B37.

A chronological arrangement, with indices, of 338 novels published during the decade� including reprinted works and foreign fiction in translation.

Crime Fiction II: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749-1990. Revised and updated edition. Ref. Z 2014.F4H83 1994. 2 volumes.

Includes more than 4000 films and 81,000 books� novels, anthologies, and collections. Arranged by author with title, settings, series, director, screenwriter, and film title indices, plus a series character chronology The English Novel in the Magazines, 1740-1815. With a Catalogue of 1375 Magazine Novels and Novelettes. PR851.M37. Chronological arrangement with extensive indices of narrative prose works of more than 5000 words printed in magazines and journals -- not newspapers. See Harner's Literary Research Guide See this guide's Guides to Research page) for a list of articles correcting and supplementing this title.

Fiction, 1876-1983: A Bibliography of United States Editions. Ref. PN 345.E52 1983. 2 volumes.

Claims to list all fiction covered during that period�170,000 entries covering collections of fiction, anthologies, and separate novels. Includes non-American writers in American editions. Very brief information given, but does list separate editions.

Novels in English by Women, 1891-1920: A Preliminary Checklist. Ref. Z 2013.W6G75.

Lists 15,174 novels (including 306 that are anonymous) published in England or the United States by 5267 authors. Arranged in three sections, each by author: first verified titles; second, also verified, books by anonymous or pseudonymous authors or authors whose sex is unknown or concealed; third, books cited in secondary sources (e.g. publisher catalogs), but not verified as actually having been published.

Personal Writings by Women to 1900: A Bibliography of American and British Women Ref. Z 1229.W8D38 1989.

Spans the period 1475 to 1900, and includes nearly 5000 items. Scope is only published work�autobiographies, correspondence, and travel writing. Includes a subject index and a chronological list. (2nd copy in stacks).

Short Story Index. Ref. Z 5917.S5C6 1953+ (Supplements are issued annually).

Indexes short story collection and periodicals that publish short fiction. Access by author, title, and subject. Currently includes about 3500-4000 stories per year (new and reprints) from collections and periodicals. Not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography, but a helpful guide to locating published short fiction.

Drama

Bibliography of the English Printed Drama to the Restoration. Ref. Z 2014.D763Gr. 4 volumes.

Lists the plays written before 1642 and printed before 1700, plus those written after 1642 but printed before 1660. Includes information on editions, variants, and issues, as well as some locations. An old but authoritative source.

Drama by Women to 1900: A Bibliography of American and British Women. Z 1229.W8D37 1992.

Covers 1475 to 1900, with more than 2800 entries arranged by author. Includes subject index, a chronological list, and an index of adaptations and translations. Also includes some dramas not presently known or in print, but known only through secondary sources

Poetry

Bibliography and Index of English Verse Printed 1476-1558. Z 2014.P7R56 1988.

English Religious Poetry Printed 1477-1640: A Chronological Bibliography with Indexes. Ref. Z 2012.D82 1996.

Includes 2456 entries, with 11,600 individual poems. Includes author, title, subject, first line indices, plus cross references to the Pollard & Redgrave Short-Title Catalogue, and thus to the Early English Books microprint set.

Poetry by Women to 1900: A Bibliography of American and British Writers. Z 2013.5.W6D38 1991.

Covering the period 1475 to 1900, arranged by author, with a chronological list. Includes more than 6000 books.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_prime_bib.shtml

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Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

-No single library can amass all of the materials --especially primary texts, rare editions, etc.--that its scholars need. The microform collections listed below enable Rutgers to offer its patrons access to a wide array of texts , many not readily available in any other format without extensive travel. Several of the collections are based on standard retrospective bibliographies--heroic efforts to list all the titles published in a particular nation and period. The collections, with a single exception, noted below, can be found in the Microforms Room on the basement level of Alexander Library, and copies of the guides can be found in the Reference Collection.

American Periodicals, 1741-1900. Microfilm. Includes more than 1100 titles--a valuable source for students of literature, history, and culture. The guide (Ref. Z 6951.H65) lists the periodicals included, the years covered, and the editors, and Alexander is purchasing a CD-ROM index which is appearing slowly, in many installments. (See this guide's CD-ROM Database page). Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (Ref. AI 3.P7) covers some of the serials included in APS.

Black Literature, 1827-1940. Microfiche 406.

A major project, overseen by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that has reclaimed a lost heritage of African-American periodical literature. Guide at Ref. PS 647.A35B52 1990, and an index on CD-ROM (See Section II-B)(See this guide's Full-text Indexes/Databases page). Focus is on reviews, poetry, and literary notices.

Early American Imprints, Series I. Evans. Microprint.

A collection of nearly 42,000 non-serial American publications from 1639 to 1800. Based on Evan's American Bibliography (Ref. Z 1215.E92A) and its various supplements and corrections, most notably National Index of American Imprints through 1800: The Short-Title Evans (Ref. Z 1215.S495). A treasure trove for students of American colonial literature, history, politics, religion, and culture. A revised and corrected version of Evans's bibliographic work is currently being added to the English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1800 (See this guide's Catalogs page).

Early American Imprints, Series II. Shaw-Shoemaker. Microprint.

A collection of roughly 50,000 titles taken from Shaw and Shoemaker's American Bibliography, 1801-1819 Ref. Z 1215.S43). Continues the collection into the early Republic.

Early American Newspapers. Microprint (first series) and Microfiche (second series).

A collection of hundreds of American newspapers from colonial times into the early republic, arranged by city. No indexes, but another wonderful source for early American culture. Listings of the titles included are at Ref. Z 6940.B855h and Ref. Z 6940.B86.

Early British Periodicals. Microfilm.

A collection of more than 160 important journals published in the 18th and 19th centuries. Guide at Ref. Z 6956.G6U54 1980.

Early English Books, 1475-1640.

A microfilm collection of nearly all the books published in England, or in the English language, during the early years of printing. Based on Pollard and Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd edition. Ref. Z 2002.P77). Books are arranged primarily by author, and assigned STC numbers, and the microfilm collection is arranged by the STC numbers.

Early English Books, 1641-1700.

A companion collection to the preceding, based on Wing's Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English Books Printed in Other Countries, 1641-1700 (2nd edition. Ref. Z 2002.W52). As in the Pollard & Redgrave STC, works are listed by author (or titles of anonymous works) and assigned STC numbers. The bibliographic records are being incorporated into the English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1800 (See this guide's Catalogs page).

The Eighteenth Century. Microfilm 2251.

A massive collection, still in process, that will eventually include the texts of some 200,000 works. Based on The Eighteenth Century Short-Title Catalogue (also still in process). The Catalogue will ultimately list 500,000 records, so the microfilm collection is very much a selection--but still an incredibly rich resource. Access through the English Short-Title Catalogue, 1475-1640 (See this guide's Catalogs page) There is also a printed guide at Ref. Z 5621.B84. Due to recent budget cuts, Rutgers has fallen behind on acquiring the microfilm�as of 6/99 Alexander has 220 out of 280 units published.

English Literary Periodicals, 1681-1900. Microfilm.

A companion to the Early British Periodicals (See above) including an additional 341 titles from the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries. Together, these two sets include most of the major titles and editors. A guide is available at Ref. Z 6956.G6U56 and there is also an ongoing CD-ROM index (See this guide's CD-ROM Database page).

Gerritsen Women's History Collection, 1543-1945.

Now housed at Douglass Library. Nearly 18,000 fiche and 244 reels of microfilm. A major resource. While the focus of these two women's history collections is not on literature in the narrower sense, there is a wealth of polemical and historical material of tremendous value for cultural studies. There is a guide at Ref. HQ 1121.G43, but the titles in Gerritsen are being added to IRIS as well.

History of Women. Microfilm.

More than 1200 reels of microfilm--including books, pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts and photographs. Most of the collection dates from 1799 to 1920. Guide at Ref. HQ 1121.R474.

Thomason Tracts. Microfilm 2612.

An important collection of books, pamphlets, newspapers, and manuscripts dealing with the British Civil War, the Commonwealth, and the Restoration. There is a guide at Ref. Z 2018.T5 1981 and a Catalogue at Ref. Z 2018. T52. There is some overlap with Early English Books, 1641-1700.

Three Centuries of English and American Plays, 1500-1800. Microprint.

Contains more than 5000 plays. Guide at Ref. Z 2014.D7B45 1963B.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_microform.shtml"

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Use to locate manuscripts. In some cases (Princeton, New York Public, or the Folger Library, for example), travel to see the manuscripts might well be feasible. Keep in mind that facsimile editions of many manuscripts have been published (Chaucer, P.B. Shelley, and T. S. Eliot, to name a few), and that the library will own many and help you track down and borrow the rest.

There are numerous other guides to manuscript collections, in the US and abroad. Check IRIS or the Card Catalog and consult the Reference Desk for further assistance.

**RLIN-(Eureka).

See this guide's Catalogs page for a full description. In addition to bibliographic records for books, journals, sound recordings, films, videos, and scores, Eureka includes records for manuscript collections. If you are looking specifically for manuscript materials, use the advanced search mode, and then limit by material type and select "archival and mixed collection" and you will limit your search to the archives and manuscripts section of Eureka, with nearly 500,000 records. You can search by author, title, subject, and keywords and find detailed descriptions of manuscript collections and their locations. An increasingly important source, especially for scholars in American Literature.

Catalog of Manuscripts of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Ref. Z 733.W3F6 1971 [with a 1988 supplement].

The Folger includes materials on other writers of the 16th through 18th centuries. You will probably need a letter from the English department to do research at the Folger.

Dictionary Catalog of the Manuscript Division [New York Public Library]. Ref. Z 6621.N56.

NYPL is one of the two or three greatest libraries in the country, and it's only a bus or train ride away. Call before visiting manuscript sites, however, to find out if there are any special conditions for use or special arrangements.

Guide to Modern Manuscripts in the Princeton University Library. Ref. Z6621.P945 1989.

Another nearby source of great value.

Index of English Literary Manuscripts. Ref. Z 6611.L715.

An ongoing set providing very detailed coverage of major writers from 1450 to 1900.

Location Register of English Literary Manuscripts and Letters: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Ref. PR 441.L63 1995. Two volumes.

>Location Register of Twentieth Century English Literary Manuscripts and Letters. Ref. Z6611. L7L63 1988. Two volumes.

These two sets offer brief entries, arranged by author, and provide helpful information on access to the manuscripts.

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. (1959-93). Ref. Z 6620.U5N3.

A nation- wide listing of manuscript collections, updated annually. Includes indexes by name and subject. See also the cumulative Index to Personal Names in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984 (Ref. Z 6620.U5N31 1988) and Index to Subjects and Corporate Names in the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984 (Ref. Z 6620.U5N3 Suppl). Still an important adjunct to Eureka.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_manu.shtml"

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

Despite the proliferation of electronic databases, there is still a wealth of bibliographic information accessible only through print sources. Here is a sampling of just a few such sources available in Alexander's Reference Collection.

**National Union Catalog. Ref. Z 881.U49.

An immense set listing the holdings of hundreds of major American libraries. Arranged by author (or title, in the case of anonymous works), NUC provides bibliographic information regarding authors and editions. See what US libraries own first editions of Pride and Prejudice--or track adaptations and abridgements of it. Most valuable are the 754 volumes of Pre 1956 Imprints, books published before 1956, but the first two supplements, 1956-1967 and 1968-1972 are also important. NUC is still being published, but the advent of systems like Eureka, have lessened the usefulness of the more recent volumes.

British Library Catalogue to 1975. Ref. Z 921.B88.

A catalogue of one of the world's great libraries. There are also two supplements covering 1976-1982 and 1982-1985.

Catalog of Printed Books of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Ref. Z 881.F62fo.

A key resource for scholars of the Renaissance.

Dictionary Catalog of the Research Libraries. New York Public Library (1911-1971). Ref. Z 881. N57.

A 1000-volume catalog of one of the world's greatest libraries (only a bus ride away). See also the following catalogs of NYPL special collections or affiliates: Dictionary Catalog of the Rare Book Division (Ref. Z 1011.N7); Dictionary Catalog of the Henry W. And Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature (Ref. Z 2011.N55); and Dictionary Catalog of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and History (Ref. Z 1361.N39N4).

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_print_catalogs.shtml"

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

-Despite the length of this present guide, it only scratches the surface. For extensive coverage of research materials, see the following bibliographies.

**Literary Research Guide: A Guide to Reference Sources for the Study o fLiteratures in English and Related Topics. 3rd edition. Ref. Z2011.H34 1998.

Probably the most current, complete, and valuable work of its kind. Compiled by James Harner for the Modern Language Association, it is a treasure trove of all kinds of helpful sources, from the well-known to the obscure. Harner's annotations are detailed, analytical, and critical. Your best bet.

Reference Works in British and American Literature. 2nd edition. Ref. Z 2011.B74 1998.

A good complement to the Harner guide (above) because it focuses on reference works dealing with individual authors�bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, concordances, and journals.

URL: http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/eng_lit/eng_guides.shtml"

RUL website maintained by the RUL Webmaster

In most browsers, ELECTRONIC MATERIALS will be described in BLACK as in this sample TYPEFACE on an IVORY background.

But PRINTED MATERIALS will be described in BROWN as in this sample TYPEFACE on a WHITE background.

Table of Contents with descriptions	RESEARCH at Rutgers University Libraries	LITERATURE IN ENGLISH © 2001
PRINTED: \| Dana Library, Newark \| Intro \| Lit History \| Biography \| Encyclopedias \| Book Reviews \| Dictionaries \| Current Biblio \| Retro biblio \| Primary biblio \| Microform \| Manuscripts \| More Catalogs \| Guides
ONLINE: \| Humanities \| Trial databases \| Multidisciplinary \| Ready Reference \| Books & Writing \| Internet Resources

URL: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~ehrlich/rul222a.htm
HTML last revised Heyward Ehrlich, 25 February 2001
Contents Copyright 2001 Rutgers University Libraries

Rutgers Libraries: Rutgers Online Research Databases for Literature in English

Prepared for faculty and graduate students in the Department of English, Newark campus

Introduction:

Literature in English: Guide to Printed and Online Research Resources at Rutgers Libraries:

Libraries & Collections at Rutgers: John Cotton Dana Library in Newark

Courseware & Library Guides

John Cotton Dana Library: English and American Literature

Rutgers Indexes and databases

By Title

By Subject

Remote access setup:

Electronic Materials

Rutgers Libraries:
Rutgers Online Research Databases for Literature in English

Literature in English:
Guide to Printed and Online Research Resources at Rutgers Libraries:

Libraries & Collections at Rutgers:
John Cotton Dana Library in Newark