---------New Mexico State University Library (last revised 5/27/94)--------- HOW TO DO LIBRARY RESEARCH IN AMERICAN LITERATURE Compiled by Helen M. Barber Fall, 1992 Conducting research in the field of American literature requires the use of many different materials in the library. This guide provides a bibliography of useful sources as well as a basic approach to researching a topic. THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY The NMSU Library is housed in two buildings: Branson Hall and New Library. Books and journals are arranged by call number and divided between the buildings as follows: Call Number Locations New Library: A-H, HM-PZ Branson: HA-HJ, Q-Z Arts Agriculture Education Business Social Sciences Engineering Humanities Science BEGINNING YOUR RESEARCH Dictionaries and encyclopedias are excellent starting points for research. They can provide general background information to help narrow or broaden the focus of a topic, define unfamiliar terms, and offer bibliographies of other sources. Some works include an index, which will provide the best access to a subject. Dictionaries and Encyclopedias > NewLib (Ref) PS92 C64 1988 Elliott, Emory, gen. ed. COLUMBIA LITERARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. New York: Columbia UP, 1988. Divided into five parts extending chronologically from the Native American cave narratives to the present. The associate editors impose no consensus on this contemporary introduction to the literary history of the United States. Instead, each essayist acknowledges the diversity, complexity, and contradictions of their author or subject. Consult the index to locate a literary figure within different critical approaches or essays. > NewLib (Ref) PN41 H6 1986 Holman, C. Hugh, and William Harmon. A HANDBOOK TO LITERATURE. 5th ed. New York: Macmillan, 1986. Presents a brief general overview of "American Literature, Periods of" with separate half- to full-page long articles under the appropriate subdivisions (e.g., "Colonial Period, 1607-1765"). The chronological "Outline of Literary History" at the end of the book contrasts English movements and works with American counterparts. > NewLib (Ref) PN41 B4 1991 Perkins, George, Barbara Perkins, and Phillip Leininger, eds. BENET'S READER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN LITERATURE. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. This "most comprehensive one-volume reference book in its field" divides the "History of American Literature" into "The European Exploration," "The Colonies," "The Revolution to 1830," "1830-1865," "1865-1920," "1920-1940," "1940-1960," and "1960 and After" with pertinent "see" references (i.e., subject’s name in bold type) and bibliographical suggestions. > NewLib (Ref) PN1021 E5 1974 Preminger, Alex, ed. PRINCETON ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POETRY AND POETICS. Enlarged ed. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1974. Best single source for the "history, theory, technique, and criticism of poetry from earliest times to the present (e.g., American Indian poetry or American poetry)." To locate information about individual authors or their poems, use other dictionaries and encyclopedias listed here. > NewLib (Ref) PS88 L522 1974 Spiller, Robert E., and others. LITERARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 4th ed., rev. Vol. 1: HISTORY. Vol. 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY. New York: Macmillan, 1974. Though growing ever more dated, this classic presents a far more unified, single statement of mainly pre-World War II literary criticism and history than Emory Elliott's COLUMBIA HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. In Vol. 1: HISTORY, check not only the table of contents but also the index to locate "Criticism, literary" or individual facets thereof such as "Realism" or "Romanticism." Citations to individual authors such as Benjamin Franklin are found in three separate cumulations of Vol 2.: BIBLIOGRAPHY (e.g., "Franklin, Benjamin, 507, 917, 1203"). > NewLib (Ref) PS271 L58 1987 Taylor, J. Golden, and Thomas J. Lyon, eds.-in-chief. A LITERARY HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST. Fort Worth: Texas Christian UP, 1987. Seventy-five chapters trace the "West in literature" from its beginnings as oral traditions in "Encountering the West" through "Settled In: Many Wests" (with considerations of major authors such as Mary Hunter Austin and William Stafford) and "Rediscovering the West" (e.g., "Scandinavian Immigrant Literature," or "Trends in Western Women's Writing") to "Epilogue: The Development of Western Literary Criticism." Most chapters conclude with selected bibliographies while those concerning single authors have biblio- graphies divided between primary and secondary sources. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES Journals are the best source for current information on a topic. This is especially important if an area of study is new, currently being investigated, or subject to frequent change. If there is a list of references following a journal article, it might provide leads to further sources. Indexes and Abstracts Journal articles on a specific subject can be identified through the use of a general or specialized index. Some indexes include abstracts (summaries) of articles. The library subscribes to indexes in print format and on CD-ROM. The library doesn't subscribe to all of the journals in these indexes. A list of journals to which the library does subscribe accompanies some of the indexes on the index and CD-ROM tables. Electronic Indexes Electronic indexes offer a computerized approach to the retrieval of citations to journal articles. A user can specify a combination of subject terms in order to find references to articles which contain those terms in their titles, in their abstracts, or as assigned descriptors. The following indexes may be useful for finding information on American literature topics. New products may be added; check the CD-ROM area near the reference desk. > Branson (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) > NewLib (Cafe OLE terminals and Library Network) PAN An index to articles on a wide range of subjects. It provides information about articles published since January 1990 in over 1,700 magazines and journals, and newscasts from major television networks and National Public Radio. It is updated monthly. The library subscribes to around 65% of the magazines and journals in PAN. PAN is available on any Cafe OLE terminal. Ask at the desk if you need any help. > Branson (Library Network) > NewLib (Library Network) InfoTrac Academic Index Provides easy-to-use access to articles in periodicals of a popular nature (CURRENT BIOGRAPHY, U. S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, etc.) as well as some specialized journals such as AMERICAN LITERATURE, COLLEGE ENGLISH, NOVEL, and TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE. Gives access to stories in the news, through references to the NEW YORK TIMES. Updated monthly. > NewLib (Ref CD-ROM Area) MLA International Bibliography [CD-ROM] This electronic version of the MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES includes bibliographic records pertaining to literature, languages, linguistics, and folklore from over 3,000 scholarly journals and series, bibliographies, book articles, dissertations, monographs, proceedings and working papers. Provides coverage from 1981 to the present, with quarterly updates. Printed Indexes Indexes or abstracts in print form give subject and/or author access to journal articles. Some of the indexes are located on tables in the reference area; others can be found in the reference stacks by call number. The following indexes list references to journal articles in the field of American literature. > NewLib (Ref) PE25 A16 ABSTRACTS OF ENGLISH STUDIES. Calgary: English Dept., U of Calgary, 1958 - . [Vol. 1-12 (1958-1969) on microfilm]. Contains relevant abstracts under the classification "United States" divided into "Particularism and Regionalism," "Themes and Types," "Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries," "Nineteenth Century, 1800-1870," "Nineteenth Century, 1870-1900," and "Twentieth Century" or the author's name (e.g., Silko, Leslie Marmon). Although slow in publication and lacking universal coverage, this work includes entries from author newsletters and interdisciplinary studies not indexed elsewhere. > NewLib PS3 AM35l AMERICAN LITERARY SCHOLARSHIP: AN ANNUAL. Durham: Duke UP, 1963 - . Critical reviews of the year’s most outstanding or controversial scholarship appear very promptly (e.g., 1989 c1991). Dr. Reed Way Dasenbrock of NMSU wrote the "Pound and Eliot" chapter in Part I for the 1986-1989 volumes. Part II includes general overviews (e.g., "Literature to 1800" or "Poetry: The 1940s to the Present") while the subject index facilitates access to a pertinent American author. > NewLib (Ref) PE1 B53 ANNUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. London: Modern Humanities Research Assn., 1920 - . Published in London, this annual enumeration of articles, books, dissertations, and reviews written in the English language has a distinctly British viewpoint presented tardily (e.g. L986 c1990). American authors are interfiled with the British under "English Literature Seventeenth Century" onward through the "Twentieth Century." > Branson (Ref) Z1002 B471 BIBLIOGRAPHIC INDEX: A CUMULATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BIBLIOGRAPHIES. New York: Wilson, 1937 - . Appearing twice a year with an annual cumulation, this timely source includes entries under broad subject headings (e.g., "American literature" or "American poetry") or an author (e.g., "Welty, Eudora"). Includes bibliographies containing more than 50 citations. > NewLib (Ref) PE58 En36y English Assn. THE YEAR’S WORK IN ENGLISH STUDIES. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities, 1919 - . Slow but well worth the three-year wait (e.g., L989 c1992) for gracefully written scholarly essays surveying "American Literature to 1900" and "American Literature: Twentieth Century." Use the subject index for individual authors (e.g., "Stafford, William"). From the 1987 volume onward, bibliographic details of the works reviewed in a chapter appear in an alphabetical list at the end of that chapter rather than as overly cryptic footnotes. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) ESSAY AND GENERAL LITERATURE INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1900 - . Timely index to collections of essays and chapters in books. Pertinent subject headings are "American fiction," "American literature," or "American poetry." Articles about individual authors may be divided into "about" (the entire canon) or "about individual works" (with the pertinent title stated). > NewLib (Ref Index Area) HUMANITIES INDEX. New York: Wilson, 1974 - . Quarterly with annual cumulations allows timely access to literary subjects (e.g., "American literature" followed by numerous "see also" references) or specifically named authors (e.g., "Hawthorne, Nathaniel" or "Melville, Herman"). Book review section at the end of each volume. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) LITERARY CRITICISM REGISTER: A MONTHLY LISTING OF STUDIES IN ENGLISH & AMERICAN LITERATURE. DeLand: Literary Criticism Register, 1983 - . Most frequently appearing and therefore timely current-awareness tool available. Subject index includes individual authors (e.g., "Twain, Mark" or "Whitman, Walt") or broader terms such as "American Literature" or "Women Writers, Black American." > NewLib (Ref) P1 A1 M62 MLA INTERNATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES. New York: MLA, 1921 - . [1921-1962 included in PUBLICATIONS OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION. PB6 M72] MLA on CD-ROM-see below. Annual. The most important tool for any literary research. From 1981 onward, the Author Index’s Classified Section lists "American literature" subdivided by genre (e.g., "Autobiography") and chronology (e.g., "American literature/1700-1799"). The subject index facilitates searching for authors or concepts. MLA's year- long publication lag encourages use of the LITERARY CRITICISM REGISTER or the HUMANITIES INDEX or the ESSAY AND GENERAL LITERATURE INDEX. Location of Journals Journals are shelved in call number order. Use the title of the journal, NOT the title of the article. Use OLE (the online catalog) to find the call number and format of a journal. Type T/ followed by the title of the journal. For assistance, ask a reference librarian. Current issues of most journals are shelved in the Periodicals areas. Use the location charts to find bound journals, which are shelved in the stacks with the books. Microfiche and microfilm journals are housed in cabinets in the microform areas of Branson and New Library. Selected List of Current Journals The following list is a sample of some of the journals the library carries in the field of American literature. Journal titles are followed by the abbreviations used in the MLA International Bibliography. New Library PS1 A38 AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY (AMLH) PS1 A43 AMERICAN LITERARY REALISM, 1870-1910 (ALR) PS1 Am35L AMERICAN LITERATURE: A JOURNAL OF LITERARY HISTORY, CRITICISM, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY (AL) AP2 Am35q AMERICAN QUARTERLY (AQ) E169.1 M6215 AMERICAN STUDIES (AMERS) PS201 A34 ATQ: AMERICAN TRANSCENDENTAL QUARTERLY PS153 N5N45 BLACK AMERICAN LITERATURE FORUM (BALF) PN2 C62 CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE (CONL) PS501 E2 EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE (EAL) PS1629 E6 ESQ: A JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE AP2 J826 JOURNAL OF POPULAR CULTURE (JPC) F1 N42q NEW ENGLAND QUARTERLY (NEQ) PN2 N49 NEW LITERARY HISTORY: A JOURNAL OF THEORY AND INTERPRETATION (NLH) PR873 N622 NINETEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE (NCF) PN2 N857 NOVEL: A FORUM ON FICTION (NOVEL) NX1 R46 REPRESENTATIONS (REPRESENTATIONS) PS261 S527 SOUTHERN LITERARY JOURNAL (SLJ) AP2 So88r SOUTHERN REVIEW (BATON ROUGE, LA) (SOR) PS370 S87 STUDIES IN AMERICAN FICTION (SAF) PN2 T918c TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE: A SCHOLARLY AND CRITICAL JOURNAL (TCL) PS1 W525a WESTERN AMERICAN LITERATURE (WAL) FINDING BOOKS Books are not as current as journal articles but will provide more comprehensive coverage of a subject. Access to the book collection is through the online catalog (OLE). Terminals are located in the reference and periodical areas on each floor. Older materials not yet entered into the OLE system are listed in the card catalog in the reference area. For books that are on order or recently received, use the INNOVACQ terminals, located in the reference and current periodicals areas. Using OLE OLE may be accessed by author, title, subject, or keyword. Consult the printed instruction sheet, the help screens on the terminal, or ask a reference librarian for further assistance. For most items, the OLE screen will give circulation information, indicating whether the item is available or checked out and, if checked out, when it is due. The Card Catalog Materials acquired by the library before 1975 may not be entered into the OLE system yet. For such material, check the card catalog in the reference area. Author, title and subject entries are arranged in a single alphabetical order in each card catalog. The card catalog in each building contains only cards for books in that building. Library of Congress Subject Headings To determine the appropriate heading(s) for a topic, consult the multi-volume LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS (LCSH). These large red books, located at the reference desk and also near the OLE terminals, are very useful for suggesting alternate or additional headings to search. UF means "used for" and indicates terms that are not used. BT means "broader term," RT means "related term," SA means "see also," and NT means "narrower term." For example, under the term American literature, some of the narrower terms listed are American diaries - Women authors American fiction American poetry Dialect literature, American Slaves' writings, American. "American literature" is first subdivided chronologically American literature - Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 American literature - Revolutionary period, 1775-1783 American literature - 1783-1850 American literature - 19th century American literature - 20th century and then alphabetically American literature - Bibliography American literature - History and criticism. To locate "Criticism and interpretation" for a literary author, add that subdivision to the author's name (e.g., James, Henry, 1843-l916 - Criticism and interpretation). While Library of Congress headings can be very useful in finding books on a topic, the researcher should also explore keyword and Boolean (logical combinations of keywords using and, or, not) searching options on OLE. See the OLE handout, or use the OLE help screens for more information on keyword searching. Location of Books To locate a book in the library, first obtain the call number from the OLE screen or the card catalog, then consult one of the location charts found in the reference area or throughout each building. Books are shelved in call number order; however, if a call number is preceded by "(SpC)," the book will be located in Special Collections (Branson). If the call number is preceded by "(Ref)," the book will be located in the reference area. Special Collections materials and reference books cannot be checked out. Remember, the reference staff can always give you further assistance in locating a book. OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES In addition to the sources mentioned above, there are many other helpful reference sources. The following resources may be particularly helpful for the study of American literature. Bibliographies Specialized bibliographies can be a key to further information in the study of American literature. They will be listed in OLE under various topics, for example "American literature-19th century-Biblio- graphy." The following are examples of bibliographies in the NMSU Library: > NewLib (Ref) PR83 B28 1976 Bateson, F. W., and Harrison T. Meserole. A GUIDE TO ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE. 3rd ed. New York: Gordian, 1976. The last chapter, "American Literature" by Harrison T. Meserole, which is growing ever more dated, remains a good starting place. > NewLib (Ref) PS228 V5 B88 1990 Butler, Deborah A. AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS ON VIETNAM: UNHEARD VOICES: A SELECTED ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY. New York: Garland, 1990. Books, articles, chapters, dissertations and a few theses by women, published between 1954 and 1987, are gathered chronologically by decade under the following major categories: "Women, Literature, and Vietnam," "Women's Accounts of Personal Experiences," "Women's Perspectives in Factual Writing," and "Women of Other Nationalities Writing About the Vietnam War." > NewLib (Ref) PS1431 D9 1991 Dyer, Alan Frank, comp. JAMES FENIMORE COOPER: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CRITICISM. New York: Greenwood, 1991. Included to exemplify a single author bibliography, this work includes reviews, journal articles, newspaper articles and editorials, dissertations, and books written between 1820 and 1900. These are gathered into chapters with broad subject categories: Bibliography, Biography, General Studies, Frontier and Indian Novels, Literature of the Sea, Social and Political Writings, and Miscellaneous Publications. > NewLib (Ref) PS368 K57 Kirby, David K. AMERICAN FICTION TO 1900: A GUIDE TO INFORMATION SOURCES. Detroit: Gale, l975. Includes individual authors such as Charles Brockden Brown, Kate Chopin, Samuel L. Clemens, and Sarah Orne Jewett. > NewLib (Ref) PS88 L42 1954 Leary, Lewis, ed. ARTICLES ON AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1900-1950. Durham: Duke UP, 1954. This mainly English-language bibliography of periodical articles, significant reviews, and review articles includes more foreign- language entries and becomes more selective in the 1950-1967 and 1968-1975 volumes. Each volume contains citations for individual authors (e.g., "Welty, Eudora") followed by broad categories such as "Literary Criticism," "Literary History," or "Poetry." > NewLib PS78 L4 1988 Leitch, Vincent B. AMERICAN LITERARY CRITICISM FROM THE THIRTIES TO THE EIGHTIES. New York: Columbia UP, 1988. Discusses "Marxist Criticism in the 1930s," "The `New Criticism'," "The Chicago School," "The New York Intellectuals," "Myth Criticism," "Phenomenological and Existential and Semiotics," "Deconstructive Criticism," "Feminist Criticism," "Black Aesthetics," and "Leftist Criticism from the 1960s to the 1980s." > NewLib (Ref) PS283 N6 L49 199l Lewis, Tom. STORIED NEW MEXICO: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF NOVELS WITH NEW MEXICO SETTINGS. Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1991. Identifies New Mexico in story through a volume falling between an amateur's checklist and a scholar’s study. The Hillerman listing lacks BLESSING WAY (1970), LISTENING WOMAN (l978), and DARK WIND (1982) which concern the Hopi in Arizona. Biographies > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT213 B46 BIOGRAPHY AND GENEALOGY MASTER INDEX. 2nd ed. 8 vols. Detroit: Gale, 1980; 1981-85 CUMULATION. 5 vols. 1985; 1986-90 CUMULATION. 3 vols. 1990; and SUPPLEMENT[s], 1991 - . Use the original set with all its cumulations and supplements to access more than 8,382,000 biographical sketches in biographical dictionaries, indexes, subject encyclopedias containing biographical information, and volumes of literary criticism. Multiple citations are given for many biographees. > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT100 B56 BIOGRAPHY INDEX: A CUMULATIVE INDEX TO BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL IN BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. New York: Wilson, 1946 - . Uses the Wilson indexes to books, collective biographies, and articles to update the above tool. Includes a listing of biographees by subject or occupation (e.g., Authors, American or Poets, American). > NewLib (Ref Biog) PR111 F45 1990b Blain, Virginia, Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy. THE FEMINIST COMPANION TO LITERATURE IN ENGLISH: WOMEN WRITERS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE PRESENT. New Haven: Yale UP, 1990. At least 75 scholars prepared brief biographies of women writing in canonized genres, diaries, letters, children’s books or popular forms in the English language. Each biographee has historical or literary significance. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PR603 C6 199l Chevalier, Tracy, ed. CONTEMPORARY POETS. 5th ed. Chicago: St. James, 1991. For each poet, a one-paragraph biography is followed by "Publications" divided by genre, "Bibliography," "Manuscript Collection," "Critical Studies," and a signed evaluative comment. > NewLib (Ref Biog) E176 D561 DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. New York: Scribner, 1928- 36. Vols. 1-20 and INDEX (1928-1937); SUPPLEMENT ONE [TO DECEMBER 31, 1935]-EIGHT: 1966-1970 (1944-1989) with COMPREHENSIVE INDEX COMPLETE THROUGH SUPPLEMENT EIGHT (1990). Examine the subdivision "Author" in "Occupations," the fifth main subdivision of the CUMULATIVE INDEX, to locate an author, e.g., "Austin, Mary." Leaf back in the same volume to "Subjects of Biographies" to locate "Austin, Mary, Sept. 9, 1868-Aug. 13, 1934. Suppl. 1-34" (meaning SUPPLEMENT ONE, page 34). > NewLib (Ref Biog) CT3260 N573 Sicherman, Barbara, et al., eds. NOTABLE AMERICAN WOMEN: THE MODERN PERIOD: A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 1980. Consult "Writers" under "Literature" in the "Classified List" to find "O'Connor, Flannery." Bio-Bibliographies > NewLib (Ref Biog) PN771 C62 CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS: A BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHICAL GUIDE TO CURRENT WRITERS IN FICTION, GENERAL NONFICTION, POETRY, JOURNALISM, DRAMA, MOTION PICTURES, TELEVISION, AND OTHER FIELDS. Detroit: Gale, 1962 - . Accurate, concise, current information about an incredible number of writers. > NewLib (Ref) PS261 F54 1987 Flora, Joseph M., and Robert Bain, eds. FIFTY SOUTHERN WRITERS AFTER 1900: A BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOURCEBOOK. New York: Greenwood, 1987. For example, the "Eudora Welty" chapter is divided into "Biography," "Major themes," "Survey of criticism," and "Bibliography," which is further subdivided into "Works by Eudora Welty" and "Studies of Eudora Welty." > NewLib (Ref Biog) PQ7420.2 K3 1989 Kanellos, Nicolás, ed. BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF HISPANIC LITERATURE IN THE UNITED STATES: THE LITERATURE OF PUERTO RICANS, CUBAN AMERICANS, AND OTHER HISPANIC WRITERS. New York: Greenwood, 1989. Covers 50 native Hispanic, Puerto Rican, and Cuban authors writing in the United States after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Each chapter is divided into "Biography," "Major Themes," "Survey of Criticism," and "Bibliography" (of "Works by . . ." and "Works about . . ."). > NewLib (Ref Biog) E77 L57 Littlefield, Daniel F., Jr., and James W. Parins. A BIOBIBLIOGRAPHY OF NATIVE AMERICAN WRITERS, 1772-1924. Native American Bibliography Series, 2. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1981. Includes published "political essays and addresses, satirical pieces, myths and legends, original poetry and fiction, published letters, historical works, personal reminiscences, and other genres" written in English by Native Americans. More works from the same time period are found in their A SUPPLEMENT (1985). > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS153 M4 C48 1989 Lomeli, Francisco A. and Carl R. Shirley, eds. CHICANO WRITERS: FIRST SERIES. Dictionary of Literary Biography, 82. Detroit: Gale, 1989. Fifty-two essays on American novelists, poets, short story writers, and dramatists who are of Mexican descent or are Mexicans in the United States. Includes career biographies, development of their canons, and evolution of their reputations. > NewLib (Ref Biog) PS153 N5 A344 1991 Smith, Valerie, consulting ed. Lea Baechler and A. Walton Litz, gen. eds. AFRICAN AMERICAN WRITERS. New York: Scribner, 1991. Each entry includes a brief biography, a "survey of the subject's principal writings and an assessment of the work as a whole" followed by a "selected bibliography recording the subject’s writings," and "concludes with a list of biographical and critical publications." "The Slave Narrative in American Literature" is interfiled with individual authors such as Lorraine Hansberry or Toni Morrison. Complements Leonard Unger’s AMERICAN WRITERS: A COLLECTION OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHIES (NewLib Ref Biog PS 159 A55 v.1-4 with two SUPPLEMENT[s]). Book Reviews > NewLib (Ref Index Area) BOOK REVIEW DIGEST. New York: Wilson, 1905 - . Presents citations to and excerpts of reviews of current fiction and nonfiction written in English. Its subject index provides our only current subject access to "American fiction," "American literature-History and criticism," "American poetry," etc. > NewLib (Ref Index Area) BOOK REVIEW INDEX. Detroit: Gale, l965 - . Indexes over 470 reviewing journals, national publications of general interest, scholarly and literary journals, and numerous daily and weekly newspapers. Only author and title indexes are present; no subject access. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 C65 1982 Farber, Evan I., ed. COMBINED RETROSPECTIVE INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN HUMANITIES JOURNALS, 1802-1974. 10 vols. Woodbridge: Research Pubn., 1982-84. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 C67 1979 Farber, Evan I., ed. COMBINED RETROSPECTIVE INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN SCHOLARLY JOURNALS, 1886-1974. 15 vols. Arlington: Carrollton, 1979-82. > NewLib (Ref) AZ221 I53 INDEX TO BOOK REVIEWS IN THE HUMANITIES. 31 vols. Williamston: Thomson, 1978 - 91. Accesses reviews of books published from 1960-1990. Indexes over 600 scholarly journals, author newsletters, and specialized titles in many subject areas including biography, literature, and literary research. Because scholarly reviews are often written many years after the book's publication, check several volumes to locate all available reviews. Additional "Book Reviews" are found at the end of the HUMANITIES INDEX as well as in the ANNUAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (see INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS, above). Chronology > NewLib (Ref) PS94 L83 1986 Ludwig, Richard M., and Clifford A. Nault, Jr., eds. ANNALS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1602-1983. New York: Oxford UP, 1986. Contrasts the most important American publications of each year with events or publications outside that literary world. Copious index. Dissertations and Masters Theses > NewLib (Ref) AS30 C64 COMPREHENSIVE DISSERTATION INDEX. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1973 - . Annual. A computer-generated index, this set attempts to list all dissertations accepted at U.S. universities. Many Canadian and some other foreign dissertations are included, but it is not a complete list. The index currently comes in five annual volumes: an author index and two subject volumes each for the sciences and social sciences/humanities. Within each discipline, dissertations are arranged alphabetically by keyword. "Language and Literature" falls in Part 2 of the "Social Sciences and Humanities" section. The years 1861-1972 are cumulated into one thirty-seven volume set. "Language and Literature" is in volumes 29-30. The years 1973-1977 are covered in another cumulation with "Language and Literature" in volumes 15-16. > NewLib (Ref) AS30 D63 DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1938 - . Monthly. An index to dissertations submitted to University Microfilms International. (Approximately 370 universities, including European institutions, were submitting dissertations in 1984.) Beginning with vol. 27, two separate sections are published: A. Humanities & Socials Sciences, and B. Sciences & Engineering. Cumulative author and subject indexes are published each year. Volumes 38-, 1977- are on microfiche. These abstracts are summaries of the dissertations themselves. Use them to determine whether or not to order the dissertation from University Microfilms or to attempt to obtain it on interlibrary loan. > NewLib (Ref) PR83 M32 1968 McNamee, Lawrence F. DISSERTATIONS IN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE: THESES ACCEPTED BY AMERICAN, BRITISH AND GERMAN UNIVERSITIES, 1865-1964. New York: Bowker, 1969. SUPPLEMENT ONE, 1964-1968. c1969. SUPPLEMENT TWO, 1969-1973. c1974. No more published. > NewLib (Ref) AS30 M393a MASTERS ABSTRACTS INTERNATIONAL. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1962 - . Quarterly. Arranged by general subject categories (e.g., "Literature, General"). These abstracts are summaries of the theses themselves. Use them to decide whether or not to order the thesis from University Microfilms or to attempt to obtain it on interlibrary loan. > NewLib (Ref) PS88 W8 1968 Woodress, James. DISSERTATIONS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1891-1966. Newly rev. and enlarged with the assistance of Marian Koritz. Durham: Duke, 1968. Includes all dissertations on American literature in English, French, and German from the first to 1966 arranged by individual authors in alphabetical order, then by periods of historical significance (e.g., the "American Revolution"), genres (e.g., fiction with ten subdivisions) and fields related to literature (e.g., "economic studies"). Excerpted Criticisms The following three series arrange criticism of author's works chrono- logically. Look for your author's name in the index of the latest volume of the pertinent series. > NewLib (Ref) PN761 N56 NINETEENTH CENTURY LITERATURE CRITICISM (NCLC). Detroit: Gale, 1981 - . The changing subtitle indicates expansion from the first volume's EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISMS OF THE WORKS OF NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS WHO LIVED BETWEEN 1800 AND 1900, FROM THE FIRST PUBLISHED CRITICAL APPRAISALS TO CURRENT EVALUATIONS to the current subtitle: TOPICS VOLUME: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF VARIOUS TOPICS IN NINETEENTH- CENTURY LITERATURE, INCLUDING LITERARY AND CRITICAL MOVEMENTS, PROMINENT THEMES AND GENRES, ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, AND SURVEYS OF NATIONAL LITERATURES. Use the "Cumulative Topics Index" in the most recent volume to locate "The Newgate Novel" in NCLC, 24:166-204 or "The American Frontier in Literature" in NCLC, 28:1-103. > NewLib (Ref) PN771 C59 CONTEMPORARY LITERARY CRITICISM: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF TODAY’S NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, SCRIPTWRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS (CLC). Detroit: Gale, 1973 - . > NewLib (Ref) PN771 G27 TWENTIETH-CENTURY LITERARY CRITICISM (TCLC). Detroit: Gale, 1978 - . The changing subtitle indicates expansion from the first volume's EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF NOVELISTS, POETS, PLAYWRIGHTS, SHORT STORY WRITERS, AND OTHER CREATIVE WRITERS WHO DIED BETWEEN 1900 AND 1960, FROM THE FIRST PUBLISHED CRITICAL APPRAISALS TO CURRENT EVALUATIONS to the current subtitle: TOPICS VOLUME: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF VARIOUS TOPICS IN TWENTIETH- CENTURY LITERATURE, INCLUDING LITERARY AND CRITICAL MOVEMENTS, PROMINENT THEMES AND GENRES, ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, AND SURVEYS OF NATIONAL LITERATURES. Use the most recent volume's "Cumulative Topic Index" to locate "Bloomsbury Group" in TCLC, 34:1-73 or "Harlem Renaissance" in TCLC, 29:49-125. Genre Indexes Fiction > NewLib (Ref) PS153 I52 C55 1985 Colonnese, Tom, and Louis Owens. AMERICAN INDIAN NOVELISTS: AN ANNOTATED CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. New York: Garland, 1985. Includes "all novelists who share in common the quality of both considering themselves and being considered by their communities as American Indian by heritage" (e.g., N. Scott Momaday and Paula Gunn Allen). > NewLib (Ref) PS371 C7 1991 Elliott, Emory, gen. ed. THE COLUMBIA HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN NOVEL. New York: Columbia UP, 1991. In contrast to Elliott’s COLUMBIA LITERARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, the four period editors have followed a thematic rather than a biographical approach. The chronological periods are "Beginnings to the Mid-Nineteenth Century," "The Late Nineteenth Century," "The Early Twentieth Century," and "The Late Twentieth Century." Poetry > NewLib (Ref) PS201 G85 1989 GUIDE TO AMERICAN POETRY EXPLICATION. 2 vols. Boston: Hall, 1989. Partially updates the third edition of Joseph M. Kuntz and Nancy C. Martinez's POETRY EXPLICATION. > NewLib (Ref) PR502 K8 1950 Kuntz, Joseph M., and Nancy C. Martinez. POETRY EXPLICATION: A CHECKLIST OF INTERPRETATION SINCE 1925 OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN POEMS PAST AND PRESENT. 3rd ed. Boston: Hall, 1980. "Presents a comprehensive index of poetry explications printed during the period 1925-1977." Short Stories > NewLib (Ref) PN3326 M27 1986 Magill, Frank N., ed. MASTERPLOTS II: SHORT STORIES SERIES. 6 vols. Pasadena: Salem, 1986. Presents critical evaluations of 732 outstanding short stories from 275 worldwide authors. Each entry includes an introductory author statement, type of plot, time of plot, locale, when first published, and principal characters followed by a plot summary, themes and meanings, and style and technique. The final volume contains carefully selected bibliographies stressing recent scholarship. > NewLib (Ref) PN3373 S36 SHORT STORY CRITICISM: EXCERPTS FROM CRITICISM OF THE WORKS OF SHORT FICTION WRITERS. Detroit: Gale, 1988 - . Confined solely to the genre of the short story, this series follows the regular format used in the other Gale excerpted criticism works such as CLC. This includes the author heading, biographical and critical introduction, principal works, and excerpts of criticism arranged chronologically and bearing biographical citations, followed by a recent bibliography.