English Subject Guide 

Research - Getting Started

Interlibrary Loan

RefWorks

Ask Earl (Reference Desk Help)

Oxford English Dictionary

Online version of the 23 volumes of the 2nd edition plus ongoing changes. The final authority on meanings and derivations of words in the English language.

Oxford Reference Online

Includes more than 140 Oxford reference titles covering literature, including dictionaries and companions to national literatures, and other reference fields.

ABELL: Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature Z 2011 .M69 Stacks

Also referred to as the MHRA Bibliography for the organization that issues it. Best annual bibliography for criticism on British amd American writers by British scholars prior to 1956. Swem has volumes for 1923-2006

American Literary Scholarhip PS 3 .A47 Stacks

Annual evaluative bibliographic essays on the best scholarship on American literature. Arranged by major writers, periods, and topics. Have 1964-2003 in hard copy. Online version available since 1998.

Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.  3rd ed. REF PN 44.5 .M86 2009

Emphasizes recent literary terms and concepts with examples from literature and popular culture.

Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature 3rd ed. Ref PR 83 .A1 C3 1999. V. 4. (6 vols. projected)

First volume to appear is Vol. 4: 1800-1900. New series excludes works of criticism after 1920. Therefore, See also:

New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. 5 vols. 1969-1977 Ref PR 83 A1 C3

Despite title, this work is older than previous item. Covers works by and about British Isles authors. Selective but extensive coverage of criticism through 1960s. Considered by many to be the best starting point for research in English Literature.

Cambridge Guide to Literature in English 3rd ed. Ref PR 85 C29 2006

Covers writers, major works, genres, movements, terms and concepts for literature in U.S., U.K. and British Commonwealth, Africa and the Caribbean. Emphasizes contemporary writers.

Dictionary of Literary Biography 300+vols. Ref PS 129 .D52

Biographical-bibliographic-critical essays on writers. Also available online in Literature Resource Center but without illustrations.

Handbook to Literature 10th ed. Ref PN 41 H355 2006

The most authoritative general handbook for English and American Literature. Explanations of literary terms, types, forms, genres, and periods. Includes chronology of English and American literary history.

Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies. 5th ed. Ref PR 83 H34 2008

Comprehensive listings with evaluations. A guide to the best.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. Ref Desk LB 2369 G53 2003

Citation guide for footnotes and bibliographies.

Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Ref PN 43 .O94 2000

For quick identification of literary allusions.

Research Guide for Undergraduate Students: English and American Literature. 6th ed. Ref PR 56 B34 2006

Brief how-to guide for writing research papers on English and American Literature topics.

Year's Work in English Studies PE 58 .E6 Stacks

Bibliographic essays which select and evaluate the best work in the field over the year of coverage.