Based on the bestselling Oxford Companion to English Literature, this is an indispensable, compact guide to all aspects of English literature. Over 5,500 new and revised A to Z entries give unrivalled coverage of writers, works, historical context, literary theory, allusions, characters, and plot summaries. Discursive feature entries supply a wealth of information about important genres in literature. For this fourth edition, the dictionary has been fully revised and updated to include expanded coverage of postcolonial, African, black British, and children's literature, as well as improved representation in the areas of science fiction, biography, travel literature, women's writing, gay and lesbian writing, and American literature. The appendices listing literary prize winners, including the Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer prizes, have all been updated and there is also a timeline, chronicling the development of English literature from c. 1000 to the present day. Many entries feature recommended web links, which are listed and regularly updated on a dedicated companion website. Written originally by a team of more than 140 distinguished authors and extensively updated for this new edition, this book provides an essential point of reference for English students, teachers, and all other readers of literature in English.

About the Author
Dinah Birch is Professor of English Literature, University of Liverpool. She has published widely on nineteenth-century literature, and has edited novels by Anthony Trollope, George Eliot, and Elizabeth Gaskell. Her books include Ruskin's Myths (1988), Ruskin on Turner (1990), and Our Victorian Education (2007). Katy Hooper is Special Collections Librarian at the University of Liverpool Library and Assistant Editor for The Oxford Companion to English Literature 7/e. Previous editions of the Concise Oxford Companion to Literature were edited by Margaret Drabble and Jenny Stringer.

Reviews
Review from previous edition This is a scrupulously produced, smartly laid-out, academically serious and at the same time relishably browsable book. * Henry Hitchings, The Times Literary Supplement *
a work of extraordinary value ... No library, no matter how small, can claim not to be able to afford at least one copy of this invaluable and almost incomparable, reference book. Another authoritative reference work of remarkable value will be welcome news to those libraries which found themselves unable to purchase the full edition. * Library Review *
No guide could come more classic than The Oxford Companion to English Literature ... the literary reference source of first resort ... indispensable ... . Contemporary international writing is excellently covered ... excellent chronology * Malcolm Bradbury, The Times *
Always good company * Ian Sansom, Guardian *
Everybody with an interest in English literature will want to own it * David Sexton, Evening Standard *
Remains irresistible * Sue Gaisford, Harpers & Queen *
Continues to stand out as distinctive, authoritative, and a work of excellence * Reference Reviews *
Increasing user-friendliness and a nice "up to date" feel * Reference Reviews *
Sumptuous volume. * Ferdinand Mount, Standpoint *
Detailed, clear and lively accounts. * Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman *
A classic now made contemporary, this really is a boon companion. * Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman *
Birch and the contributors have done an excellent job. * Sameer Rahim, Daily Telegraph *
Excellence is in the details. * Times Literary Supplement, Henry Hitchings *
It offers companionable assistance; it's your pal in literary need. * John Sutherland, Sunday Times *
It is a fascinating, compact and readable reference work. * Day by Day *
accessible, readable * Mail on Sunday *
If you are at all interested in literature, then this is your essential reference book * Writers News *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199608218
Author Dinah Birch
Format Paperback
Page Count 832
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 592g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 131mm * 49mm