Webster's Dictionary of American Authors

"Webster's Dictionary of American Authors" contains more than 500 pages of information about important writers of North America. The bulk of the book consists of encyclopedic entries on individual authors (generally 4 or 5 authors are covered on each 2-page spread). There is also a supplemental section of entries on major works of American literature. In addition, the book contains a short dictionary of groups, movements, and periodicals: there are entries on the Algonquin Round Table, the Black Mountain poets, Imagism, etc.The book is illustrated throughout with photos of selected authors. The back cover boasts that the book contains more than 900 short biographies. These short bio capsules contain the authors' dates and places of birth (and death, if applicable), titles of major works, and other relevant data.This is a solid and informative book. Yes, there are some regretable omissions: where, for example, are William Apess, Rita Mae Brown, Victor Hernandez Cruz, John Fante, and Hisaye Yamamoto? But what IS here is great. Whoever made the selections was sensitive in putting in a nicely multicultural mix of authors. There are particularly strong representations of Jewish and African-American authors. Also impressive is the presence of many science fiction writers; gay male and lesbian writers are also well represented. This may not be the definitive reference work on American writers, but it's useful and consistently interesting.