Encyclopedia of Fictional People: The Most Imp, Th: The Most Important Characters of the 20th Century

This very informative, entertaining and thoroughly researched volume presents a collection of over 2000 "biographies" of the most famous, popularized fictional people of the 20th century, be it from theater, film, television, literature, comics or advertising. In it you'll find everyone from Flash Gordon, Bilbo Baggins, Aunt Jemima and The Munsters to Mr. Spock, Willy Wonka, Princess Leia and The Fantastic Four. Arranged alphabetically, each entry usually offers a short, amusing description of the character and a witty account of his or her life's most relevant details, and is masterfully cross-referenced to both the Index and the Authors Index to facilitate searching for related characters. Some photos and trademark sayings are also included, as are many wacky lists made up by the author like "Are They Speaking English?" (Rocky Balboa, et al.) and "Nightmare Dance Partners" (Robocop, et al.), among others. With such carefully compiled work, it's a shame that neither the media in which the characters appeared, nor the actors who played them are specified. Nevertheless, this reference will be a great, fun addition to the library of pop culture historians and trivia enthusiasts alike. A word of caution: since this book was published in 1996, you won't find in it any newcomers like Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow, Ally McBeal and Bob The Builder. --Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

The problem with this book is who to include and leave out? With the Jolly Green Giant and Popeye included in the cover pictures I think you will realise where this book stands. Charles Dickens is not mentioned in the Author Index. As a reference book to over 2000 pop culture fictional folk it is quite comprehensive. Each entry has a short description and the title where the character appeared, problem here is that only the title is given, not the medium, television, film, book, radio etc. There is a good title and author index and a photo or quote appear on most pages and it is rather well designed, too. This is a good addition to your reference collection, which will of course include the essential Benet's 'Reader's Encyclopedia', Popeye in this is the character in William Faulkner's 'Sanctuary'.