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Online Reference Shelf: English

eBooks and quality web-based reference materials.

Biography

Note:  Many of the articles in these books contain critical commentary on an author's work along with biographical information.

African Writers. Scribner's (1997) Gale eBooks

Ancient Writers: Greece & Rome. Scribner's (1982) Gale eBooks

Contemporary Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. 2 vol. Scribner's (2003)

Contemporary Novelists. St. James Press (2001) Gale eBooks

Contemporary Poets. St. James Press (2001)  Gale eBooks

Fifty Key Literary Theorists. Routledge (2006)  EBSCO eBook

Latin American Writers (3 vol) Scribner's (1989) Gale eBooks

Latin American Writers, Supplement 1. Scribner's (2002)  Gale eBooks

Latino and Latina Writers (2 vol) Scribner's (2004)  Gale eBooks

Mystery and Suspense Writers: The Literature of Crime, Detection, and Espionage (2 vol) Scribner's (1998)  Gale eBooks

Notable African American Writers. Salem Press (2006)  EBSCO eBook

Notable Latino Writers. Salem Press (2006)  EBSCO eBook

Poets: British and American (3 vol) Scribner's (1998)  Gale eBooks

Science Fiction Writers. Scribner's (1999) Gale eBooks

World Poets. (3 vol.) Scribner's (2000)  Gale eBooks

Writers for Children: Critical Studies of Major Authors Since the Seventeenth Century. Scribner's (1988)  Gale eBooks

Writers for Young Adults (3 vol) Scribner's (1997)  Gale eBooks

Writers for Young Adults, Supplement 1. Scribner's (2000)  Gale eBooks

Dictionaries & Thesauri

Cambridge Thesaurus of American English. Cambridge U. Press (1994)  EBSCO eBook

Hutchinson Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms. Helicon (2005)  EBSCO eBook

Hutchinson Pocket Dictionary of Confusable Words. Helicon (2004) EBSCO eBook

Hutchinson Pocket Dictionary of Difficult Words. Helicon (2005) EBSCO eBook

Hutchinson Pocket Dictionary of English Usage. Helicon (2004) EBSCO eBook

McGraw Hill Reference for Editors, Writers, and Proofreaders. McGraw-Hill Professional (2006)  EBSCO eBook

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. McGraw-Hill Professional (2005)  EBSCO eBook

McGraw-Hill's Essential American Slang Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Professional (2007) EBSCO eBook

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003) Gale Student Edition

NTC's American Idioms Dictionary. NTC Contemporary (2000)  EBSCO eBook

NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions. NTC Contemporary (2000)  EBSCO eBook

NTC's Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases. McGraw-Hill Professional (2002)  EBSCO eBook

NTC's Super-mini English Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Professional (2002)  EBSCO eBook

Oxford American College Dictionary  EBSCO eBook

 

Encyclopedias, Handbooks, Guides (Writing/General)

A to Z of Correct English. How to Books, Ltd. (2002)  EBSCO eBook

Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing. Penguin (1997)  EBSCO eBook

English Grammar for the Utterly Confused. McGraw-Hill Professional (2003) EBSCO eBook

Good Grammar Guide. Routledge (2003)  EBSCO eBook

McGraw Hill Reference for Editors, Writers, and Proofreaders. McGraw-Hill Professional (2006)  EBSCO eBook

Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Essays. McGraw-Hill Professional (1999)  EBSCO eBook

Dictionaries (Literature/Linguistics)

Dictionary of Native American Literature. Routledge (1994)  EBSCO eBook

Glossary of Historical Linguistics. Edinburgh U. Press (2007) EBSCO eBook

Routledge Dictionary of Literary Terms. Routledge (2006)  EBSCO eBook

A Yeats Dictionary. Syracuse U. Press (1998) EBSCO eBook

Encyclopedias, Handbooks, Guides (Literature/Linguistics)

Cervantes Encyclopedia.  Greenwood (2004)  EBSCO eBook

     vol. 1, A-K

     vol 2, L-Z

The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature. Columbia U. Press (2003)  EBSCO eBook

Columbia Guide to Asian American Literature Since 1945. Columba U. Press (2006)  EBSCO eBook

Feminism in Literature: A Critical Companion. Gale (2005) Gale eBooks

Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Literature. Helicon (2005)  EBSCO eBook

The Modern Latin American Novel. Twayne (1998)  Gale eBooks

Tne New Novel in France: Theory and Practice of the Nouveau Roman. Twayne (1997)  Gale eBooks

Oxford Companion to African American Literature. Oxford U. Press (1997)  EBSCO eBook

Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. Oxford U. Press (1994)  EBSCO eBook

Oxford Handbook of British and Irish War Poetry.  Oxford U. Press (2007)  EBSCO eBook

Routledge Companion to Gothic. Routledge (2007) EBSCO eBook

Science Fiction After 1900: From the Steam Man to the Stars, 1997. Twayne (1997) Gale eBooks

Science Fiction Before 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology. Twayne (1994)  Gale eBooks

Noteworthy

Feminism in Literature: A Critical Companion (2005)

This six-volume set explores the history of women and feminism throughout literature, from classical antiquity to modern times. Topics covered include misogyny and women's social roles in ancient civilizations, 16th-century women's devotional literature, 17th- and 18th-century women's captivity narratives, the women's suffrage movement in 19th-century America, women writers of the "Lost Generation," lesbian literature, and much more.

Notable Latino Writers (2006)

Novelists, poets, playwrights and short-story writers The description "Latino" is often limited to those born in the United States of Spanish-speaking parents, or who have migrated to the United States from a Spanish-language country Salem uses the term "Latino" in its larger sense, to refer to authors living in the Americas who speak - or descend from those who spoke - any romance language, as well as those of Latin American descent living in the United States, who often may speak only English. The term is deliberately inclusive, allowing coverage here of many Latin American authors (such as the Brazilian Jorge Amado, the Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or the Peruvian/Chilean Isabel Allende) whose works have been routinely translated into English and studied as part of the Latino heritage. The term also, of course, includes U.S.-born writers of Latino descent - Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Cuban American, Dominican American, from Julia Alvarez to Richard Rodriguez to Gary Soto.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2005)

The hardest part of getting the hang of a language is making sense of its idioms. From proverbial expressions such as "a stitch in time saves nine," to idioms such as "dead ringer," to such common verbal phrases as "put out" and "take on," these colorful constructions, so abundant in American English, seem to serve no other purpose than to frustrate and confuse. But don't despair! Thanks to the efforts of noted lexicographer Richard A. Spears, mastering American English idioms has never been easier.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs covers the full breadth and scope of idiomatic American English, making it an essential companion to standard desk dictionaries. An invaluable resource for ESL students, as well as writers, scholars, and public speakers, this reference combines in one volume the two most perplexing aspects of American English phraseology--idioms and phrasal verbs--providing ready access to the complete meanings and varying usages of thousands of common terms and verb constructs.

Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English (1994)

This is the most comprehensive guide to modern poetry in English.
Celebrated poets offer intriguing views on their fellow poets, such as Tom Paulin on Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney on Robert Lowell, and Anne Stevenson on Sylvia Plath. 1,500 poets are covered from W.H. Auden to Benjamin Zephaniah. There is world wide coverage, including America, Britain and Ireland, New Zealand, Trinidad and Zimbabwe. There are also entries on magazines, movements, and critical terms.

Chronologies

Chronology of American Literature. Houghton-Mifflin (2004)  EBSCO eBook

Quotations

Civilization's Quotations. Algora (2002)  EBSCO eBook

The Hutchinson Dictionary of Quotations. Helicon (2005)  EBSCO eBook

Kindling the Spirit. Health Communcations (1994)  EBSCO eBook

Quotable Musician. Allworth (2003)  EBSCO eBook