Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature

Like a website and links, one has difficulty just reading the item searched for. One entry leads to another and time is fast swallowed up. This is the third edition of the Benet book I have owned. The original first edition is in shreds, but I will not give it up. Another edition came in two volumes. It was okay but I remained partial to Mr. Benet's original. This latest edition is absolutely superb with lots of updating and handy format and size. Some entries in earlier editions are missing, but minor concern. . My Benet's work was a major assist in my earning under graduate and graduate degrees with majors in English! Perfect for last minute exam review and just informative reading.I am buying two more copies for gifts!

My Benet has been a constant companion for 15 years. A few days ago I reluctantly turned in my tattered old copy for the new edition. In my opinion, only Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and the Oxford Dictionary of Aphorisms can match Benet for sheer browsing pleasure. The most impressive thing about this reference is its amazing range - the literatures of many countries, history, philosophy, language, even science and politics. There are innumerable short biographies, articles on individual literary characters and many handy plot summaries. All in a well bound paperback that can be read lying down! I also have a fatal weakness for the Oxford Companions, but if you are looking for a single volume guide to the literary world, look no further than Benet.

A handy reference work for scholars, literature students, readers and booksellers, the headings include authors, titles, literary terms, fictional protagonists, historical personages, and so forth. This is one to keep at arm's reach, right there next to the dictionary.A quick & ready reference for unfamiliar terms encountered during literary jaunts and journeys, and a great aid for booksellers needing some accurate background information to list a literary find online! One wishes the numerous online booksellers just entering the fray would purchase a copy, and familiarize themselves just a little with the world of books and literature of which they have become purveyors! - I've seen listings that betray the seller's ignorance of the difference between Winston Churchill the British statesman ( & prime minister), and Winston Churchill the American novelist! A quick check of this easy reference work would have made the difference between accuracy and diletantism!

If you ever have a fire and can only rescue one thing - let this book be it!! Covering everything from historical information to biblical references, this book allows one to look up who wrote what and when, and also lists anything else written by that person. Everything is wonderfully cross-referenced and easy to use.Want to know who wrote what play or opera, you can find it. Want to know about the Monroe Doctrine - it is there! Want to learn about King George III, right - "it's in there".A sure bet for anyone interested in fiction, history, poetry, opera, art etc.

Unlike the correspondent from San Merino below, I love the non-literary historical and political entries and details. I have found this to be the ultimate source for brushing up on cross-references in books. I've found it most useful when something I'm reading refers to history or another literary work--but I'm momentarily stumped on the details of the reference. Much more efficient to look it up in Benet's than to wander through the library hoping a quickly-glimpsed spine will trigger a memory.