Library Guides: Literature in English: Encyclopedias & Reference

Best Bets

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
Authoritative dictionary that traces word development over time, as illustrated by quotations from various sources.
The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language. Entries contain detailed etymological analyses that trace word development through time and are illustrated by quotations from a wide range of English-language sources.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature
Long, in-depth, peer-reviewed background information on writers, movements, genres, and other literary topics.

Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO) This link opens in a new window
The bibliographies for literature provide a brief overview of writers, literary movements, etc. followed by an extensive bibliography (list of influential sources with brief summaries). Excellent starting point for research.
Provides access to carefully selected articles and other reference sources in the following areas: African Studies, Anthropology, Atlantic History, Chinese Studies, Classics, Communication, Criminology, Education, Geography, International Law, International Relations, Islamic Studies, Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Military History, Music, Philosophy, Renaissance and Reformation, Social Work, Sociology, and Victorian Literature.

Reference Collections

These collections provide access to many specialized encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and other reference materials.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Full text online collection of over 750 encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks and other reference works covering a spectrum of topics from the arts to the sciences.
Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
A large collection of specialized encyclopedias and reference sources. These lengthier encyclopedia articles are usually written by scholars and include bibliographies for further reading.
A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources. Titles include: the History of Dispute series, Encyclopedia of Modern China, Encyclopedia of Religion, the Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography and many more resources. (Formerly titled Gale Virtual Reference Library)
Literature Online (LION) This link opens in a new window
Literature-specific bibliographies, definitions, biographies, and encyclopedia articles. Begin your search in the "Reference" tab.
Literature Resource Center (LRC) This link opens in a new window
Indexes biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other authors. (Twayne English - Twayne US - Scribner - Twayne World Authors) [dates vary]
Provides access to content of numerous print counterparts including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and Dictionary of Literary Biography.
Oxford Reference Online (ORO) - English Dictionaries and Thesauri This link opens in a new window
Online English language dictionaries and thesauri from Oxford University Press, including the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford American Thesaurus of Current English.
Access to dictionaries published by Oxford University Press including The Concise Oxford English Dictionary and The Oxford American Thesaurus of Current English. Search all sources collectively or search within an individual title.

Encyclopedias

The Encyclopedia of Semiotics This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia and guide to concepts in semiotics, sign theory, and cultural studies such as theories, theorists, schools of thought, issues in communications, cognition, and cultural theory.
Target audience is students and scholars interested in language, symbols, and the transmission of information. Entries are written by scholars in the fields of anthropology, literary theory, linguistics, and philosophy.

Map of Early Modern London
This project maps the spatial imaginary of Shakespeare’s city, combining a digital edition of the 1561 Agas woodcut map of London, an encyclopedia, a gazetteer, and a versioned edition of John Stow's Survey of London.

Brill's Medieval Reference Library This link opens in a new window
The MRLO contains over 4,000 entries and 200 plus illustrations covering pre-modern European history and culture.
The database includes complete coverage of four medieval studies encyclopedias: Encyclopedia of Medieval Chronicle, Encyclopedia of Medieval Dress and Textiles of the British Isles c. 450-1450, Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage, and Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Searches can be performed across encyclopedias or limited to one title.
Theatre in Context This link opens in a new window
Full-text of critical, in-copyright reference works about authors, plays, theatres, productions, production companies, casts and related information covering the Canadian and American Theatre. (North American Theater Online)
More than 40,000 pages of critical, in-copyright reference works about authors, plays, theatres, productions, production companies, casts and related information covering the world of theatre from colonial times to the present. This collection includes Black Drama, Twentieth Century North American Drama, and North American Indian Drama

Encyclopedia of Caribbean Literature
Ed. D.H. Figueredo. 2 vols. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2006.
Encyclopedia of Frontier Literature
Mary Ellen Snodgrass. Oxford, [U.K.]; New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Literature, 1900-2003
Eds. Daniel Balderston and Mike Gonzalez. London; New York: Routledge, 2004. Also found in print.
Encyclopedia of Literature and Criticism
Ed. Martin Coyle et al. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Also found in print.
Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada
Ed. William H. New. Toronto; Buffalo, N.Y.: University of Toronto Press, 2002.
Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature
Eds. Robert T. Lambdin and Laura C. Lambdin. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000.
HarperCollins Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature
Eds. George B. Perkins, Barbara Perkins, and Phillip Leininger. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
Chief ed. Jay Parini. 4 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Also found in print.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature
Ed. by David Scott Kastan. 5 vols. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Also found in print.
South Asian Literature in English : An Encyclopedia
Jaina C. Sanga. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2004.
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture
Online. Especially useful for topics in film and music.

Dictionaries

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language. Contains detailed etymological analyses that trace word development through time and are illustrated by quotations from a wide range of English-language sources. NOTE: Some off-campus users have reported issues when accessing OED with Chrome. Patrons are encouraged to use other browsers.
The accepted authority on the evolution of the English language. Entries contain detailed etymological analyses that trace word development through time and are illustrated by quotations from a wide range of English-language sources.
Oxford Reference Online (ORO) - English Dictionaries and Thesauri This link opens in a new window
Online English language dictionaries and thesauri from Oxford University Press, including the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and the Oxford American Thesaurus of Current English.
Access to dictionaries published by Oxford University Press including The Concise Oxford English Dictionary and The Oxford American Thesaurus of Current English. Search all sources collectively or search within an individual title.

All English Dictionaries
A UC Library Search search of all dictionaries in English. (Subject Heading: English language -- Dictionaries.)

Dictionaries of Phrases, Concepts, and Symbols

A Dictionary of Literary Symbols
By Michael Ferber. Entries on literary symbols we frequently encounter (such as swan, rose, moon, gold) with cross-references and quotations. Focus is British literature, but includes the Bible and classical authors, as well as some European and American authors.
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Brief definitions of words, phrases, names, and places with descriptions of origins in oral tradition, history, or literature. Variants include Modern Phrase and Fable, London Phrase and Fable, and Irish Phrase and Fable. Alternative to the Oxford.
Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Edited by Elizabeth Knowles. Brief definitions of words, phrases, names, and places with descriptions of origins in oral tradition, history, or literature.

Dictionaries of Specific Forms of English

Dictionary of Old English: A to G Online This link opens in a new window
An online dictionary covering the first six centuries of the English language (600 - 1150 A.D.). (DOE online)
Defines the vocabulary of the first six centuries (600 - 1150 A.D.) of the English language. The DOE complements the Middle English Dictionary (which covers the period 1100 - 1500 A.D.) and the Oxford English Dictionary (which documents the development of the English language to the present), the three together providing a full description of the vocabulary of English.
Middle English Compendium This link opens in a new window
Provides access to three Middle English electronic resources: Middle English Dictionary, Bibliography of Middle English Prose and Verse, and the Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse.
Provides access to three Middle English electronic resources: Middle English Dictionary, Bibliography of Middle English Prose and Verse, and the Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse.

Dictionaries of Critical and Philosophical Terms

Oxford Dictionary of Critical Theory
Dictionary of critical theory, covering the Frankfurt school, cultural materialism, cultural studies, gender studies, film studies, literary theory, hermeneutics, historical materialism, Internet studies, and sociopolitical critical theory.
The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism
Definitions of terms in cultural criticism that includes film, psychoanalytic, deconstructive, poststructuralist, and postmodernist theory. Also available in print.
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms
Brief definitions and histories of terms used in literary studies. 2008.
A Glossary of Literary Terms - M. H. Abrams
Short articles on important terms and theories used in literary criticism. Current edition in Reference; previous editions in Main stacks.
A Handbook to Literature by William Harmon
Detailed definitions of terms in literary criticism and related fields.
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
Online, historical survey of the people, schools, and movements important to literary criticism.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window
Online encyclopedia of philosophical concepts and philosophers written by leading scholars in the field.
A dynamic reference work in which each entry is maintained and kept up to date by an expert or group of experts in the field.

More critical dictionaries
Browse more critical dictionaries in UC Library Search.

Language Dictionaries of Interest to Scholars of Literature in English

Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources (DMLBS) This link opens in a new window
Online version of the most comprehensive dictionary of Medieval Latin produced and the first ever to focus on British Medieval Latin. It is not included in the Database of Latin Dictionaries (DLB). (Brepols)

Welsh Dictionaries

Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru
GPC is a historical dictionary of the Welsh language. It presents the vocabulary of the Welsh language from the earliest Old Welsh texts, through the literature of the Medieval and Modern periods, to the current period. Print, with some online at http://www.welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/

Biographies

American National Biography This link opens in a new window
Scholarly full text biographies and bibliographies on thousands of Americans.
Biographical portraits of more than 17,400 American men and women.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) This link opens in a new window
Full text scholarly biographic dictionary of individuals who have shaped the history of Great Britain from the the fourth century BC to present day. (Oxford DNB). Please note: There is a 1 user limit. If this resource doesn't work, please try again at another time.
Includes more than 50,000 biographies of individuals who shaped the history of Great Britain and beyond. From the fourth century BC to the 2000. Includes illustrations.
Literature Resource Center (LRC) This link opens in a new window
Indexes biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of more than 120,000 novelists, poets, essayists, journalists, and other authors. (Twayne English - Twayne US - Scribner - Twayne World Authors) [dates vary]
Provides access to content of numerous print counterparts including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, and Dictionary of Literary Biography.

British Council's Writers Directory
Profiles of some of the UK and Commonwealth's most important living writers, with biographies, bibliographies, critical reviews, and information about awards.
British Writers
Edited under the auspices of the British Council, Ian Scott-Kilvert, general editor.

LitFinder This link opens in a new window
Full text literary essays, poems, short stories, plays, speeches, as well as secondary sources on literary figures and works. (poem finder)
Includes thousands of full-text essays, poems, short stories, plays, and speeches.

Companions & Guidebooks

Cambridge Companions Online
Collections of essays on a topic, period, or author that collectively provide a broad yet scholarly overview. Bibliographies to essays are useful.

Cambridge Histories Online This link opens in a new window
Collections of essay-length historical background on a range of topics literature, written by scholars. Examples of literature-focused collections include History of the Graphic Novel, History of Welsh Literature, History of American Literature, History of Victorian Literature, History of Postcolonial Literature, and more.
Explore American and British history, ancient history, Islamic history, economic history, the histories of philosophy, science, music, literature, religion, social histories, and much more. "My Histories" allows you to create and share a personalized library with your own bookmarks and notes.

A Companion to World Literature (Ed. Ken Seigneurie)
In-depth essays on authors, text, and topics in World Literature from ancient times to the contemporary.
Very Short Introductions (Oxford)
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise introductions to a wide range of subjects including Derrida, Postcolonialism, Buddhist Ethics, Classics, and Art History.

Concordances

What is it?

A concordance is an alphabetical listing of words in a text or writer's oeuvre, with where the words can be found.

Ways to find:

Keyword search: writer AND concordance*
Subject search: use the format writer -- Concordances
example: Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886 -- Concordances

Examples:

Library Catalogs

National Union Catalog, pre-1956 Imprints (NUC) Catalog of holdings of many U. S. libraries, including the Library of Congress. Useful for tracking editions. Print: Main Z733.U57.C22556

Library of Congress Online Catalog Does NOT include every title in the NUC but has the newer titles.

The British Library General Catalogue of Printed Books to 1975 Gardner Stack Z921 .B8542 1975

British Library Advanced search (with search tips) for the British Library site.

Bibliographies

Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO) This link opens in a new window
Authoritative multidisciplinary research guides, including annotated bibliographies and encyclopedia entries, covering the humanities and social sciences.
Provides access to carefully selected articles and other reference sources in the following areas: African Studies, Anthropology, Atlantic History, Chinese Studies, Classics, Communication, Criminology, Education, Geography, International Law, International Relations, Islamic Studies, Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Military History, Music, Philosophy, Renaissance and Reformation, Social Work, Sociology, and Victorian Literature.

Women in Book History Bibliography
Web-based, freely available bibliography that lists secondary sources on women’s writing and participation in the book trades. Emphasis is the Early Modern period in England, roughly 1500-1800. Texas A&M University.

Index Translationum This link opens in a new window
A list of books translated in the world, i.e. an international bibliography of translations.
Lists more than a million books in translation in over 400 languages of UNESCO Member States, on all subjects, published since 1979. Includes more than 1,400,000 entries in all disciplines. To search, scroll down to 'Bibliographical search on line.' Produced by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies
Bibliography for literary research, last updated 2008. Thorough descriptions and evaluations of resources with crucial information about contents.
Literary Index (Gale)
Combines and cross-references over 165,000 author names, including pseudonyms and variant names, and listings for over 215,000 titles into one source.

ArchiveGrid
Online access to nearly a million descriptions of archival collections owned by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies and archives worldwide.
Guide to Reference
Master listing of thousands of reference works. No longer published, but may be useful in finding older materials.
more...less...
The Guide to Reference began in 1902 as the Guide to the Study and Use of Reference Books, a pamphlet published by Alice Bertha Kroeger of Drexel University. Over subsequent decades the pamphlet grew into a major reference work and a cornerstone of LIS training. The Guide was managed by a distinguished line of general editors, including Isadore Gilbert Mudge, Constance Winchell, Eugene Sheehy, Robert Balay, Robert Kieft and Denise Beaubien Bennett. The print version of the Guide went through 10 editions and in 2008 the Guide made its début online. The online guide was discontinued in 2016.

What Is Reference?

Reference sources include encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases.

They may give you a succinct overview of a topic.

They may help you identify a topic to explore in depth.

They may provide quick, reliable facts.

They may include bibliographies that will lead you to detailed studies.

Secondary menu

Literature in English