James L. Harner

“ An encyclopedia of terms, disciplines, and individuals associated with postmodernist studies in the arts, social sciences, and humanities. The signed entries, which typically conclude with a selective bibliography, emphasize postmodernism as an ongoing process. Entries on concepts helpfully summarize the history and positions of key theorists, but some definitions suffer from a lack of clarity (e.g., “desire,” “indeterminacy,” and “margin”) and most would benefit from more attention to how a concept is applied. ”

“ Entries are accompanied by a list of writers or films discussed only when a title needs clarification. Although the introductory survey of basic issues involving the relationship between literature and film comments on numerous works, it is no substitute for annotations. Two indexes: scholars; subjects. Film as Literature is marred by the failure to annotate all entries and is restricted to English-language works; nevertheless, it is the best guide to scholarship on literature and film. ”

“ Except for studies involving the United States or Canada, a geographic focus takes precedence over a topical one in organizing works; hence, users should generally begin with the subject index. Entries are accompanied by full descriptive annotations, but only a few offer an evaluative comment. Three indexes: persons; titles; subjects. Although the work is limited in its coverage and now dated, it is the fullest bibliography of bibliographies devoted to women’s studies. ”

“ Entries are unnecessarily separated into books and articles under divisions for general works, Latinas, African American women, Asian American women, Native American women, women of color, Third World women, other ethnic groups and countries, lesbian literary theory, and reference works. Although restricted to English-language publications, taking several entries from other sources rather than using a firsthand examination, and lacking an index, this bibliography does offer a place to begin when searching for discussions of feminist theory. ”

“ The database is far easier to search than the print version (see the publisher’s Web site for a list of current vendors; click Access) . Its breadth of coverage and thorough subject indexing make RILM the best source for identifying music scholarship that treats literary works or authors.
Although The Music Index: A Subject-Author Guide to Music Periodical Literature, [1949–2009] (Warren: Harmonie Park, 1949–2010; quarterly, with annual or biennial cumulations; ; updated regularly) does not approach the breadth of RILM, it offers better coverage of popular music. ”

“ Although the classification system is not as refined as it could be and needs a good weeding, Film and Television is the best guide to English-language reference sources for the study of the two media. ”

“ The classic formulation of the theory of copy-text (a text chosen as an expedient guide in formal matters for a critical edition) and the distinction between substantive readings (those “that affect the author’s meaning or the essence of his expression”) and accidental readings (those that affect mainly the formal presentation of the text) . Although sometimes misunderstood and misapplied, Greg’s theory, its subsequent modifications, and the debates engendered by the theory are central to modern Anglo-American textual editing. ”

“ Although encompassing non-Western and folk music, New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (which is the principal component of Grove Music Online) emphasizes the European art tradition in Western music, with more than half of the approximately 29,000 entries devoted to composers and the rest to performers of international achievement, writers about music, other persons of importance in musical history, terminology, genres and forms, instruments, places with a significant musical tradition, institutions and organizations, concepts, and countries. ”

“ A dictionary of genres, styles, techniques, and concepts associated with film. The full definitions are accompanied by specific examples and sometimes by illustrations. Four indexes: terms; film and television titles; persons; and general topics (such as camera movement, criticism, editing) . Clear and concise, Beaver is a useful reference for those writing as well as reading film studies and supersedes Dictionary of Film Terms: The Aesthetic Companion to Film Analysis, 2nd ed. ”

“ Individual essays assess the state of scholarship on, theoretical bases of, and research methods for preschool through elementary writing, middle and high school composition, postsecondary-level writing, teacher research in writing classrooms, second-language composition and teaching, rhetoric, family and community literacies, writing in the professions, and historical studies of composition. Each concludes with what is intended to be a complete bibliography of published research during the two decades. ”

“ The entries are organized in six periods, each of which is prefaced by a superficial and frequently inaccurate discussion of historical background, the development of books, and attitudes toward and treatment of children. English-language books are listed by date of publication; a foreign work is listed by the year it was introduced into Great Britain or the United States; works by a prolific or popular author are grouped under the year of his or her first important or popular publication (a practice that results in some lengthy, incomplete, and generally useless lists) . ”

“ Guides to Scholarship and Criticism There is no satisfactory general guide to scholarship and criticism in popular culture, and, given the breadth and eclecticism of the field, there likely never will be. Researchers interested in a particular kind of popular literature will do better to consult reference works devoted to genres or periods. ”

“ The accompanying descriptive annotations vary in fullness, and several are based on other abstracts rather than the works themselves. Highly incomplete and inconsistent, coverage seems dictated by what the compilers discover rather than by any clear principles of selection. Although the “Bibliography” is sometimes useful for isolating studies that treat aspects of Christianity in literature, the inconsistency in coverage and lack of indexing mean that users are in for an issue-by-issue search for discussions of authors or topics. ”

“ Biography Search allows for a search by name, occupation, nationality or country of activity, year of birth, year of death, place of birth, and place of death; Bibliography Search allows a keyword search to be restricted to author or editor, title, and publication date; Discographies and Compilations allows a search by artist or group, album title, year of release, label, and rating; Videographies allows a search by artist or group, title, label, and year of release. In addition, users can browse all content, biographies, subject entries, and tools and resources. ”

“ Since entries are based on information supplied by publishers, some are incomplete or inaccurate, and names and titles are not standardized. Identifying books about a topic is much easier and faster in Books in Print than in the subject guide to Children’s Books in Print, which utilizes some broad or inexact headings. The print version also includes a directory of publishers. Although not exhaustive and lacking any explanation of the kinds of materials included or excluded, this work is the standard guide to children’s books currently for sale in the United States. ”

“ Of particular value is the section on critical approaches, with essays on such topics as film and psychoanalysis, feminism and film, queer theory, and cultural studies and film. Indexed selectively by persons and film titles. The overall clarity of the essays and their blend of theory and illustration make Oxford Guide to Film Studies an indispensable handbook for anyone writing or reading film criticism. ”

“ Although error-ridden, covering a limited span of years and a restricted number of journals, and less accessible than it should be because of two sequences of entries, the separation of reviews from the work reviewed, and poorly conceived indexes, Boos at least serves as a preliminary guide to studies of women authors and women in literature and demonstrates the need for both retrospective and current serial bibliographies of scholarship and criticism on women and literature. ”

“ Although there are liberal cross-references, the subject index offers the best access to contents of the print version. In the online version, Basic Search is too primitive to allow effective access to the Encyclopedia; Advanced Search allows users to perform keyword searches of a combination of fields (all fields, abstracts, authors, entry titles, subheadings, references, and full text) . Articles can be viewed or downloaded as PDF files, and citations with links can be marked for e-mailing. Although the online version is being updated, the site does not identify new entries. ”

“ Abstracts of significant books, articles, reviews, dissertations, and other materials produced since 1967 (along with selective coverage of earlier material) . In the print version, entries are organized alphabetically by author within classified divisions; of most interest to literature researchers are those for reference materials, music and other arts (including sections for dramatic arts and poetry and other literature) , and music and related disciplines (including linguistics and semiotics, printing and publishing) . The descriptive abstracts tend to be brief but adequate. ”

“ Many records include a critical commentary that emphasizes medical themes. Records can be browsed by author or artist, keyword descriptor, and title; all records can be searched by keyword and through two special screens: Annotation Search and People Search. Well-edited and constantly expanding, Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database is the best resource for identifying medical topics depicted in English-language literature published after 1800. ”

“ Although it is generally the best place to begin extensive research on an author or specific work, an author bibliography, like any other reference work, must be used with due regard for its scope, limitations, and accuracy. ”

“ A biographical, bibliographical, and critical dictionary of established twentieth-century writers and illustrators of English-language literature for children. A typical entry consists of three parts: biographical information, including address or agent; a list of separately published works (including those for adults) ; a signed critical essay. Some entries also note the location of manuscript collections, list selected criticism, and print a comment by the entrant. Important nineteenth-century writers are grouped in an appendix. ”

“ Entries (which provide merely basic bibliographical information) are now listed alphabetically by author in 14 divisions: biological sciences; computers and digital technology; environmental sciences; exploration, discovery, or travel; medicine; occult sciences; physical and mathematical sciences; popular science; psychological and cognitive sciences; rhetoric of science; science and technology; social sciences; technology; and theory. Three indexes: scholars; subjects (i.e., persons) ; topics. The electronic version allows for simply keyword searching of citations or keywords ”

“ Ranging well beyond what is thought of as “children’s literature” and the Books in the title, the signed entries include critics, technical terms, topics (e.g., movable books, child authors, and superheroes) , drama, television series, comics, media texts, illustration techniques, awards, genres, organizations, folktales, fairy tales, periodicals, and genres. An appendix lists winners of selected literary prizes. ”

“ There are numerous errors in citations, inconsistencies in classification, and significant omissions, and the insufficiently classified divisions, lack of cross-references, and inexcusable failure to provide a subject index make American Folklore a time-consuming work to consult. Yet this and Haywood, Bibliography of North American Folklore (U5875) , remain essential sources principally because they offer the most thorough coverage of scholarship before 1975 on most genres of American folklore ”

“ A guide to reference sources for the social sciences generally as well as political science, economics, business, history, law, anthropology, sociology, education, psychology, geography, and communication. ”

“ A headnote briefly surveys the development and major figures of each school or movement, or—for theorists—summarizes his or her leading ideas and career. Some entries are briefly annotated with notes on content and an occasional evaluative comment; most, however, are too terse to offer an adequate sense of the substance or importance of a work. Indexed by persons. Although some works have not been examined by Marshall (and although series titles are omitted in citations) , Contemporary Critical Theory will provide a convenient guide to those unfamiliar with the cross-currents of recent theory. ”