Library

Bowdoin College Library Catalog
Books, videos, government documents, etc. in Bowdoin's library.

NExpress
A combined catalog containing the library holdings of Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Wellesley, Williams, Middlebury, and Northeastern. Requests take 2-3 days.

MaineCat
Includes the holdings of most Maine libraries. Requests take 2-5 days

WorldCat
A combined database of many library catalogs worldwide. Request items found in WorldCat through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Finding E-Books

The library has purchased many databases which include the full texts of books -- some reproduce early American and British imprints; some are recently published books in print, now available online. Some are primary sources -- the texts themselves -- some are secondary sources -- criticism of the texts. You can also search Google Book Search, though often the full text of the book is not available.

Early American Imprints 1639-1800 (Evans)
Books, pamphlets, broadsides and other imprints listed in the renowned bibliography by Charles Evans 

Early American Imprints 1801-1819 (Shaw-Shoemaker)
Books, pamphlets, broadsides and other imprints listed in the distinguished bibliography by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker

Early English Books Online
Contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700 - from the first book printed in English by William Caxton, through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the tumult of the English Civil War.

ebrary
Full text of thousands of books from hundreds of publishers, some of which we will have in print on the shelves as well.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online
This collection is an ongoing project based on The English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC). Includes English-language titles and editions published between 1701 and 1800  of every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom, along with thousands of important works from the Americas.

Oxford Scholarship Online 
Full text of hundreds of Oxford books in many disciplines.  Choose the link for Literature on the left to search only books and literature  Oxford describes its literature collection as follows: The Oxford University Press Literature list has enormous range, from Medieval (Blamires, Cooper, Gaunt, O'Donoghue) to Twentieth Century and all-but Contemporary (Corcoran, Gillis, Eaglestone, Robinson), with a powerful grouping in the Renaissance/Early Modern (Hughes, Lockwood, Pollard, Rhodes, Rosenblatt, Stevenson, Walker for example). The titles largely address the literary from the perspective of history, and in that contextual sense they are significantly interdisciplinary.

Women's Writers Project
The WWP  provides the full text of works by pre-Victorian women writers.

Background, Facts, and Biography

The reference collection contains many works that will provide quick information on English and American literature. These can be very broad or very specific in nature: an encyclopedia on American literature or an encyclopedia on Mark Twain. Browsing the collection can often be very useful: Call number PN for general literature; PR for English literature; PS for American literature. The following list will give you an idea of the types of works you will find in the reference collection; it is a sampling only.

General and Biographical Reference Works

Benét's reader's encyclopedia
Edited by Bruce Murphy
HarperCollinsPublishers, c1996
Main Ref PN41.B4 1996

Contemporary Authors
Biographical sketches of 20th-century authors who have written in English or have had their works translated into English. 

Dictionary of Literary Biography
"The essays of DLB outline the lives and careers of authors from all eras and genres and summarize the critical response to their work." Personal information, principals works, and further readings also are covered.

Dictionary of National Biography
Biographies of deceased British writers.

Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English
Edited by Eugene Benson and L.W. Conolly, Routledge, 1994
Main Ref PR9080.A52 E53 1994

Literature Resource Center
Biographies,bibliographies, critical essays, work overviews, author-relatedwebsites, and timeline events. LRC is drawn in full, or in part, fromthese titles: Contemporary Authors; Contemporary Literary Criticism (selected), Dictionary of Literary Biography; Scribner Writer Series; Twayne's English Authors; Twayne's U.S. Authors; Twayne's World Authors; and several other sources.

Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
Merriam-Webster, c1995
Main Ref PN41.M42 1995

Middle English Compendium
"The Middle English Compendium has been designed to offer easy access toand interconnectivity between three major Middle English electronicresources: an electronic version of the Middle English Dictionary, aHyperBibliography of Middle English prose and verse, based on the MEDbibliographies, and a Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, as wellas links to an associated network of electronic resources."

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford Reference Online--Literature. 
Great for quick, factual look-ups. Includes sources like the The Oxford Companion to American Literature, The Oxford Companion to English Literature, and the The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare.

Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
Jay Parini, editor in chief
Oxford University Press, 2004
Main Ref PS21.E537 2004

Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature
Oxford University Press, 2006
"The Encyclopedia provides comprehensive coverage of literature fromthe Abbey Theatre to Israel Zangwill, covering the entire history ofliterature in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in themajor literary languages (Anglo-Saxon, English, Welsh, Scots, Irish,and Latin). It includes substantial accounts of individual authors(e.g., Spenser, Pope, Austen) and detailed histories of particularthemes, movements, genres, and institutions, whose impact upon thewriting or the reading of literature was significant (e.g., TheStationers' Company, the sonnet, the School of Night, or the Sublime)" 

Specialized Works

There are many specialized works on literature. The best method of finding material is to search under the author's name or literary period, genre, landmark, etc. in the library's catalog. Here is a sample of the types of works you can find:

James Joyce A to Z
By A. Nicholas Fargnoli and Michael Patrick Gillespie
Facts on File, c1995
Main Ref PR6019.O9Z533376 1995

American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide From Colonial Times to the Present
Edited by Lina Mainiero
Ungar, c1979-1982
Main Ref PS147.A4

Oxford Companion to African American Literature
Edited by William L. Andrews, Frances Smith Foster, Trudier Harris
Oxford University Press, 1997
Main Ref PS153.N5O96 1997

Encyclopedia of Southern Literature
By Mary Ellen Snodgrass
ABC-CLIO, c1997
Main Ref PS261.S515 1997

Oxford Companion to Mark Twain
Edited by Gregg Camfield
Oxford University Press, 2003
Main Ref PS1331.O97 2003

Literary Terms, Characters, etc.

Critical Survey of Literary Theory
Edited by Frank N. Magill
Salem Press, c1987
Main Ref PN45 .C74 1987

Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism
Edited by Michael Groden and Martin Kreiswirth
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005
Main Ref PN81 .J554 2005 

A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory
By J.A. Cuddon
Blackwell, 1998
Main Ref PN41 .C83 1998

A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory
By Jeremy Hawthorn
Arnold, 1998
Main Ref PN44.5 .H37 1998

Dictionary of British Literary Characters: 18th- and 19th-Century Novels
Edited by John R. Greenfield
Facts on File, c1993
Main Ref PR830.C47D5 1993

Dictionary of British Literary Characters: 20th-Century Novels
Edited by John R. Greenfield
Facts on File, c1994
Main Ref PR888.C47D53 1994

Dictionary of Fictional Characters
J. M. Dent, 1963
Main Ref PR19.F7

The Originals : An A-Z of Fiction's Real-Life Characters
By William Amos
Little, Brown, c1985
Main Ref PN56.4.A4 1985

Cyclopedia of Literary Characters II
Edited by Frank N. Magill
Salem Press, c1990
Main Ref PN44.M28 1990

Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs
Edited by Jean-Charles Seigneuret
Greenwood Press, 1988
Main Ref PN43.D48 1988

Cyclopedia of Literary Places
Edited by R. Kent Rasmussen
Salem Press, c2003
Main Ref PN56.S48C97 2003

An Atlas of English Literature
By Clement Tyson Goode
The Century Co., 1925
Main Ref PR109.G6

The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland
Edited by Dorothy Eagle and Meic Stephens
Oxford University Press, 1992
Main Ref PR109.E18 1992

The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to the United States
By Eugene Ehrlich and Gorton Carruth
Oxford University Press, 1982
Main Ref PS141.E74 1982

Locating Poems

In addition to searching under an author's name in the library's catalog, consider these indexes and web sites:

Granger's Index to Poetry
H.W. Wilson, 1904-
Main Ref PN1021.G72

Index to Poetry in Periodicals
Granger Book Co., c1981-
Main Ref PS324 .I4
Covers poems published in American magazines and newspapers, 1915-1929

The American Verse Project
Volumes of American poetry prior to 1920.

Representative Poetry On-line
Early medieval period to the beginning of the twentieth century. From University of Toronto. Unlike many collections of verse on the Web, this one is edited by scholars. Poems tend to be British and American and number over 3,000.

Reference, Poetic Terms and Concepts

Dictionary of Literary Biography
"The essays of DLB outline the lives and careers of authors from all eras and genres and summarize the critical response to their work." Personal information, principals works, and further readings also are covered.

New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
Edited by Alex Preminger and T.V.F. Brogan
Princeton University Press, 1993
Main Ref PN1021 .N39 1993

Dictionary of Poetic Terms
By Jack Myers and Don Charles Wukasch
University of North Texas Press, c2003
Main Ref PN1042 .M93 2003

Criticism

See also the Journal Articles and  Books & E-books sections.

Critical Survey of Poetry
Edited by Philip K. Jason
Salem Press, c2003
Main Ref PN1021 .C7 2003
Includes biographies and analysis

Poetry Explication : A checklist of Interpretation Since 1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present
By Joseph M. Kuntz and Nancy Conrad Martinez
G. K. Hall, c1980
Main Ref PN1022.K8 1980

Guide to British Poetry Explication
By Nancy C. Martinez and Joseph G.R. Martinez
G.K. Hall, 1991-c1995
Main Ref. PN1022.M34 1991 (v.1 Old English - Medieval; v.3 Restoration - Romantic; v.4 Victorian - Contemporary)

American and British Poetry : A Guide to the Criticism, 1925-1978
By Harriet Semmes Alexander
Swallow Press, c1984
Main Ref PN1022.A44 1984

Guide to American Poetry Explication: Colonial and Nineteenth-Century
By James Ruppert
G.K. Hall, c1989
Main Ref Z1231.P7 R66 1989

Guide to American Poetry Explication: Modern and Contemporary
By John R. Leo
G.K. Hall, c1989
Main Ref Z1231.P7 L46 1989

The Explicator Cyclopedia
Edited by Charles Child Walcutt and J. Edwin Whitesell
Quadrangle books, 1966-68
Main Ref PR401 .E9

Locating Short Stories

Index to Best American Short Stories and O. Henry Prize Stories
By Ray Lewis White
G.K. Hall, c1988
Main Ref Z1231.F4 W52 1988

Short Story Index: An Index to 60,000 Stories in 4,320 Collections
Compiled by Dorothy E. Cook and Isabel S. Monro
H. W. Wilson, 1953
Main Ref Z5917.S5 C6
Supplement: 1950-1983
Main Ref Z5917.S5 C62 (7 vols.)

Chicorel Index to Short Stories in Anthologies and Collections
Edited by Marietta Chicorel
Chicorel Library Pub. Corp., 1974
Main Ref Z5781 .C485

Index to Short Stories
Compiled by Ina Ten Eyck Firkins
H.W. Wilson company, 1915
Main Ref Z5917.S5 F5
Supplement
Main Ref Z5917.S5 F5 Suppl

The Standard Index of Short Stories, 1900-1914
Compiled by Francis J. Hannigan
Small, Maynard & Company, c1918
Main Ref Z5917.S5 H2

Reference & Criticism

Note: See also articles and books sections.

Columbia Companion to the 20th-Century American Short Story

Dictionary of Literary Biography
"The essays of DLB outline the lives and careers of authors from all eras and genres and summarize the critical response to their work." Personal information, principals works, and further readings also are covered. Especially good coverage of short story writers.

A Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English

Reference Guide to Short Fiction
Edited by Noelle Watson
St. James Press, c1994
Main Ref PN3373 .R36 1994

Twentieth-Century Short Story Explication ...
Shoe String Press, 1961-
Main Ref Z5917.S5 W3 and supplements
Main Ref Z5917.S5 W33 and supplements
Covers 1800-

American Short-Fiction Criticism and Scholarship, 1959-1977 : A Checklist
By Joe Weixlmann
Swallow Press, c1982
Main Ref Z1231.F4 W43

Reference

There are many, many reference sources for all aspects of Shakespeare study -- biographical, theatrical, criticism, textual analysis, etc. Here is short sample:

Biblical References in Shakespeare's Plays. Main Ref PR 3012 S53 1999. 

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Comedy. (e-book)  2002.

A Complete and Systematic Concordance to the Works of Shakespeare. Main Ref PR 2892 S6 1970. Six volumes.

A Dictionary of Shakespeare. (e-book) 1998. 

The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. (e-book) 2001.

Shakespearean Characterization: A Guide for Students and Actors.  (e-book) 2002.

Shakespeare: from Stage to Screen.  (e-book) 2004.

Shakespeare after Shakespeare:And Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture. Main Ref PR 2880 S48 2007.

Criticism

There is no end, it seems, to Shakespeare criticism. You will want to search for books and journal articles-- please refer to the Books and Journal Articles section.  in both cases, you can do a keyword search, for example, for Shakespeare and Hamlet  or  Shakespeare and Women.   Or do a subject search of Shakespeare and browse the subject headings or other phrases to narrow down your search.

Shakespearean Criticism Yearbook: Excerpts from the criticism of William Shakespeare's plays and poetry, from the first published appraisals to current evaluation. Main Ref PR2965 .S43 1984.

General Gateway Sites

Voice of the Shuttle: Web Page for Humanities Research
Excellent collection of links from Alan Liu, English Dept, UCSB.

• Literature (English)
• Literature (Other)
• Literary Theory

Full-text Resources

Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts
A full-text indexed collection of classic American and English literature

The American Verse Project
Volumes of American poetry prior to 1920.

Online Books Page
From the University of Pennsylvania -- access to over 30,000 books on the Web. 

Representative Poetry On-line
Early medieval period to the beginning of the twentieth century. From University of Toronto. Unlike many collections of verse on the Web, this one is edited by scholars. Poems tend to be British and American and number over 3,000.

Bartleby Library
Literature, reference, and verse.

English Language Resources: The Electronic Text Center
A variety of electronic texts and illustrations made available over the Internet from the Electronic Text Center at the University of Virginia. Some contents available only to UV students.

Victorian Women Writers Project
British women writers of the late 19th century. A collection of anthologies, novels, political pamphlets, and volumes of poetry.

General Internet Sources

The Cambridge History of English and American Literature
An Encyclopedia in Eighteen Volumes According to Bartleby.com this source "is considered the most important work of literary history and criticism ever published on writings in the English language. Compiled over fourteen years, from 1907 to 1921."

The Children's Literature Web Guide
The Children's Literature Web Guide is an attempt to gather together and categorize the growing number of Internet resources related to books for Children and Young Adults. From the University of Calgary.

Labyrinth: The World Wide Web Server for Medieval Studies
A comprehensive resource for Medieval Studies: bibliographies, European cultural studies, pedagogical resources, electronic texts, music.

Luminarium
Anthologies of Middle, Renaissance, and 17th Century English literature. A great introduction to the major authors of these periods. Beautiful graphics. Includes biographies, criticism, bibliographies and much more. Very useful as an overview.

Maine Writers Index
Over 350 Maine writers, past and present.

New York Times Books (free but registration required to use New York Times' sites.)
Includes the complete Sunday Book Review, daily book related news and reviews, a searchable archive of over 50,000 New York Times Book Reviews going back to 1980, and more.

PAL: perspectives in American Literature
Covers major movements, narrower themes, and links to individual web pages to nearly 400 authors

The Writers' Workshop Online Resources for Writers (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne)
This page links to the many resources produced by this workshop, as well as links to outside resources for writers. Includes the Grammar Handbook, the Bibliography Styles Handbook, and the Writing Process Handbook. Check out their annotated list of "Best Web Sites for Writers."