Literary Research Guide/S

by James L. Harner

Foreign Language Literatures

This section is limited to guides to reference works that will direct researchers to essential sources, along with a very few important bibliographies of bibliographies or major serial bibliographies. For a basic list of specialized bibliographies, literary dictionaries and encyclopedias, and other reference works on a particular literature, consult Thompson, Key Sources in Comparative and World Literature (S4850), Guide to Reference (B60), or New Walford Guide to Reference Resources (B65).

Users should also remember that studies of all literatures (except classical Greek and Latin) are covered by MLAIB (G335).

General

Guides to Reference Works

S4850

Thompson, George A., Jr. Key Sources in Comparative and World Literature. New York: Ungar, 1982. 383 pp. Z6511.T47 [PN523] 016.809.

A highly selective, annotated guide to reference works on a variety of literatures, but emphasizing those in English and Western European languages. Entries are organized in 11 extensively classified divisions: comparative, general, and international literatures; classical; Romance; French; Italian; Hispanic; German; literatures in English; other European literatures; Oriental literatures; and related fields. Many sections list bibliographies and concordances for major authors. The annotations are typically descriptive, noting scope, organization, related works, and (sometimes) reviews. While some are full, many of the annotations inadequately detail the content or significance of a work. Poor layout makes skimming difficult. Three indexes: names; selected titles and institutions; subjects. Although it does not really emphasize comparative literature, omits several essential works, and is frequently uncritical in selection or annotation, Thompson is the best general guide to essential bibliographies, handbooks, histories, and other reference works for foreign literatures.

Guides to Scholarship and Criticism

S4855

Year’s Work in Modern Language Studies (YWMLS). London: Mod. Humanities Research Assn., 1931– . Annual. PB1.Y45 405.8. <http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Journals/ywmls/index.html>.

A selective, evaluative review of research on Romance, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavonic languages and literatures. Currently organized by language or geographic area within five divisions (Latin, Romance, Celtic, Germanic, and Slavonic languages), with essays on language, literary periods, and film studies as required by the extent of the scholarship. For example, in vol. 65 (for 2003) French studies takes 13 essays whereas Swedish studies needs only two.

The necessarily selective coverage depends on availability of material, individual contributors, the extent of coverage in other bibliographies, and—since vol. 45 (for 1983)—the number of pages allocated by the editors to a chapter. As in Year’s Work in English Studies (G330), the quality and objectivity of individual essays vary depending on the contributor(s), but most (until the mid-1990s) attempt judicious evaluations of the significant scholarship. Recent volumes have been published within a year or two following that of the scholarship covered. Indexed by persons (including authors discussed); a cumulative author index for 66–71 (for 2004–09) can be downloaded from the YWMLS Web site. The elimination of the subject index beginning in 58 (1996) is partly compensated for since YWMLS is now available on JSTOR (K700).

Although some topics are covered more exhaustively in other sources, YWMLS was for many years the single most comprehensive evaluative survey of scholarship on European and Latin American languages and literatures. Since the mid-1990s, however, the majority of the essays are little more than lists of citations accompanied by one- or two-sentence descriptions of content; many essays in recent volumes are listed as “Postponed.” Taken together, the annual volumes offer an incomparable record of scholarly and critical trends as well as of the fluctuations of academic reputations of literary works and authors.

African Literatures

S4865

Lindfors, Bernth. “Researching African Literatures.” Literary Research Newsletter 4.4 (1979): 171–80. PN73.L57 809.19.

An evaluative overview of bibliographies, biographical sources, and other reference works (through early 1979) important for the study of African literatures. Although now dated, it remains a useful guide, since many of the works have not been superseded. Additional bibliographies are listed in Yvette Scheven, ed., Bibliographies for African Studies, 1970–1986 (London: Zell, 1988; 615 pp.); Bibliographies for African Studies, 1987–1993 (1994; 176 pp.); and Alfred Kagan, Reference Guide to Africa: A Bibliography of Sources, 2nd ed. (Lanham: Scarecrow, 2005; 222 pp.).

A useful introduction to important scholarship on selected literatures is B. W. Andrzejewski, S. Piłaszewicz, and W. Tyloch, eds., Literatures in African Languages: Theoretical Issues and Sample Surveys (Cambridge: Cambridge UP; Warszawa: Wiedza Powszechna, 1985; 672 pp.).

See also

Sec. R: Other Literatures in English/African Literatures in English.

Asian Literatures

S4875

Anderson, G. L. Asian Literature in English: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1981. 336 pp. Amer. Lit., English Lit., and World Lits. in English: An Information Guide Ser. 31. Z3001.A655 [PR9410] 016.895.

A bibliography of English-language translations and important studies (published through c. 1978) of East Asian literature. Indian literature, which is the subject of Singh, Verma, and Joshi, Indian Literature in English (R4800), is excluded. The 2,224 entries are organized in 16 divisions: Far East, China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaya and Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Tibet, Turkic and other literatures, and periodicals about Central Asian literature. The divisions are variously classified, but most have sections for bibliographies, reference works, anthologies, general literary history and criticism, periodicals, genres, earlier literature, and modern literature, as well as individual authors and anonymous works. About half of the very brief annotations are descriptive, with the remainder offering an evaluative comment; however, few adequately describe the content or significance of a work. Indexed by persons and English-language titles of literary works. Users should be sure to note the explanation on p. xiv of conventions governing names (however, the use of brackets around variant pen names and parentheses around real names is not consistently followed). Although marred by an insufficient explanation of scope and criteria governing selection, omitting several important studies, and inadequately annotated, Anderson is useful as a preliminary compilation of English-language translations and studies of East Asian literature.

Some additional studies on Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China are listed in Patricia Herbert and Anthony Milner, eds., South-east Asia Languages and Literatures: A Select Guide (Honolulu: U of Hawaiʻi P, 1989; 182 pp.).

Classical Literatures

Guides to Reference Works

S4885

Jenkins, Fred W. Classical Studies: A Guide to the Reference Literature. 2nd ed. Westport: Libs. Unlimited, 2006. 401 pp. Reference Sources in the Humanities Ser. Z7016.J4 [PA91] 016.48.

A guide to book-length and electronic reference sources, available through 2004, for the study of classical Greece and Rome (from the Bronze Age through AD 599). Entries are organized by type of resource or topic, with chapters on general bibliographies, abstracts and indexes, review journals, periodicals, general dictionaries and encyclopedias, general Internet resources, biographical works, history, primary sources in translation, geography, art and archaeology, language, general works on literature, genres, Greek authors, Latin authors, philosophy, religion and mythology, related disciplines, scholarly societies, research centers, and directories. The annotations offer full descriptions, reliably alert users to revisions or related works in progress, and usually offer some kind of evaluative comment (less so in the case of electronic resources). Two indexes: authors and titles; subjects. More effectively organized than the first edition (1996), Jenkins is a solid guide to basic reference sources for classical studies.

It must, however, be supplemented by Thomas P. Halton, Classical Scholarship: An Annotated Bibliography (White Plains: Kraus, 1986; 396 pp.), a guide to important reference works and scholarship (through c. 1980) for the study of classical Greek and Roman civilization. Entries are organized alphabetically by author in 15 classified divisions: bibliographies and reference works; literary history and criticism; history and influence of the classical tradition; transmission of the classics (including sections on books and libraries, paleography, and textual criticism); language and style; metrics, song, and music; epigraphy; political and cultural history; numismatics; art and archaeology; religion, mythology, and magic; philosophy; science and technology; teaching aids; and collections. Most entries include a list of reviews and an annotation that describes scope and contents, identifies the work’s importance to classical scholarship, and evaluates its quality. Two indexes: subjects; scholars. Classical Scholarship is marred by an inadequate explanation of scope and criteria governing selection and by several annotations that are less precisely descriptive and evaluative than one expects in a critical bibliography.

Guides to Scholarship and Criticism

S4890

APh: L’année philologique. Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique, 2009. 11 Jan. 2013. <http://www.annee-philologique.com/aph>.

L’année philologique: Bibliographie critique et analytique de l’antiquité gréco-latine, [1924– ]. Paris: Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique, 1928– . Collection de bibliographie classique. Annual. Z7016.M35A.

An international bibliography of scholarship on all aspects of the Greco-Latin world to c. AD 800. Entries are organized in two parts: authors and anonymous works; subjects. Under each author or anonymous work are separate lists of bibliographies, collections of essays, editions, and studies. The second part consists of 10 variously classified divisions: literary history (with sections for general works, literary theory, and genres); linguistics (with sections for general works, specific languages, onomastics, and metrics); history of texts (including paleography and textual criticism); nonliterary sources (with sections for archeology, epigraphy, numismatics, and papyrology); history; law; philosophy and history of ideas; science and technology; the study of the classics; and collections of essays. Entries are accompanied by descriptive annotations (predominantly in French but also in English, Italian, and German) and citations to reviews. The type and number of indexes vary, with recent volumes providing five: subject headings; names from antiquity; names of authors and others since the Middle Ages; places; scholars. The international scope and impressive degree of coverage make this the indispensable guide to scholarship on Greek and Latin language and literature to c. AD 800.

APh, which offers the best access to the content of the printed volumes, also includes interim records. In the basic search screen, users can search by Modern Author (i.e., document author), full text, Ancient Authors, or subjects; Advanced Search allows users to combine the preceding fields with ones for publisher, title, series title, journal title, reviews by journal, and reviewer and to restrict a search by language and date. Records, which can be sorted by author, title, date (ascending or descending), or relevance, aggregate book reviews spread over multiple print volumes. Users who wish to select multiple records for exporting must do so from the results page. Although journal acronyms and abbreviations are expanded in mouse-over boxes in a Web browser, they are not expanded in downloaded, e-mailed, or printed records; see List of Journal Abbreviations on the home page for journals currently indexed. Users who create an account can set preferences, save searches and records, and create alerts. Fortunately, APh supersedes DCB: Database of Classical Bibliography (CD-ROM), a user-unfriendly electronic resource plagued by virtually incomprehensible or woefully inadequate help screens. Complemented by MLAIB (G335) for studies of Greek and Latin language of all ages and for studies of literature after c. 800.

Scholarship before 1924 is covered in the following:

• Engelmann, Wilhelm, ed. Bibliotheca Scriptorum Classicorum. Rev. E. Preuss. 8th ed. 2 vols. Leipzig: Engelmann, 1880–82. (Covers 1700–1878.)
• Klussman, Rudolf, ed. Bibliotheca Scriptorum Classicorum et Graecorum et Latinorum. 4 pts. in 2 vols. Leipzig: Reisland, 1909–13. (Covers 1878–96.)
• Lambrino, Scarlat. Bibliographie de l’antiquité classique, 1896–1914. Paris: Belles Lettres, 1951. 761 pp. Collection de bibliographie classique. (The second volume, which was to cover subjects, will not be published.)
• Marouzeau, J. Dix années de bibliographie classique: Bibliographie critique et analytique de l’antiquité gréco-latine pour la période 1914–1924. 2 vols. Paris: Belles Lettres, 1927–28.

Researchers will find a useful key to acronyms and abbreviations of book, series, and journal titles in Jean Susorney Wellington, Dictionary of Bibliographic Abbreviations Found in the Scholarship of Classical Studies and Related Disciplines, rev. and expanded ed. (Westport: Praeger, 2003; 684 pp.).

S4892

Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics. Ed. Dee L. Clayman. Oxford UP, 2010– . 15 Jan. 2015. <http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/obo/page/classics>.

Oxford Bibliographies Online are peer-reviewed, concisely annotated, expertly selected bibliographic citations. Each of the articles within a bibliography, written by scholars in the field, consists of an introduction that covers the history behind the field or subfield, followed by a categorized list of useful academic publications (e.g., introductions, textbooks, journals, handbooks and guides, reference works, primary texts or documents) and sections on debates and controversies, criticism, genres, and more. The lists of citations are highly selective, chosen to represent the best scholarship in a given field. Some articles include links to full text or Web content.

Classics includes articles covering the academy, Aeschylus, Alexander the Great, Aristophanes, Christianity, Homer, and scores of other subjects.

Content is browsable, and users can search the database with the option of limiting by resource type. Searches can be saved, and users can receive e-mails alerting them to new additions.

S4893

Carlsen, Hanne. A Bibliography to the Classical Tradition in English Literature. Copenhagen: [Dept. of English, U of Copenhagen], 1985. 164 pp. Anglica et Americana 21. Z2014.C55 C37 [PR127] 016.82′09′3.

A classified bibliography of scholarship, published between 1900 and 1983, on the relationship of English literature to the Greek and Latin classical tradition. The 1,692 entries include studies published in English (for the most part), French, German, Italian, and the Scandinavian languages but exclude dissertations. Entries are listed alphabetically by author in 16 sections: general studies, Middle Ages, Chaucer, sixteenth century excluding Shakespeare, Shakespeare, seventeenth century excluding Milton, eighteenth century, nineteenth century, twentieth century, Greek authors, Latin authors, myths and themes, literary genres, translation, philology, and art. The lack of cross-references means that users must consult the index to locate all listed works on a literary author or anonymous work. A few entries are annotated with a phrase that is seldom adequate to describe the content of a study. Indexed by literary authors, anonymous titles, and some subjects. Although broader in scope than Kallendorf, Latin Influences on English Literature (S4895), and claiming to include all entries therein, Carlsen is less helpfully annotated and less thoroughly indexed, and it overlooks a considerable number of studies. It is, though, a time-saving compilation that, for post-1900 scholarship, supersedes Huntington Brown, “The Classical Tradition in English Literature: A Bibliography,” Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature 18 (1935): 7–46, and the brief bibliography and notes (pp. 550–705) in Gilbert Highet, The Classical Tradition: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature (New York: Oxford UP, 1949; 763 pp.).

Some additional studies can be found in “Bibliography of the Classical Tradition for [1980–89],” Classical and Modern Literature 5–12 (1985–91), an annotated bibliography of books, articles, and dissertations on the relation of classical and postclassical literature, art, life, and thought. Entries are cross-indexed in two subject lists: classical topics (including persons, genres, and subjects); postclassical references (including subjects, a few major authors, and national literatures [subdivided by period]). Most entries in the first division are accompanied by a very brief descriptive annotation. Two indexes: mythological figures (since the bibliography for 1984); scholars. Although the layout prevents effective skimming and subject headings in the second part tend to be too general, this bibliography is useful for its international coverage.

S4895

Kallendorf, Craig. Latin Influences on English Literature from the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century: An Annotated Bibliography of Scholarship, 1945–1979. New York: Garland, 1982. 141 pp. Garland Reference Lib. of the Humanities 345. Z2012.K34 [PR127] 016.82′09.

A selective bibliography of books and articles (in English, French, German, Italian, and Dutch) that clearly focus on the influence of classical Latin authors on English literature. Thus, discussions of medieval and Neo-Latin authors, technical studies of translation, and purely linguistic scholarship are excluded. Entries are organized in seven variously classified divisions: basic works on the classical tradition; rhetoric and English prose style; medieval literature; Renaissance literature; English Literature, 1600–60; Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline drama; and Restoration and eighteenth-century literature. The descriptive annotations are sometimes too brief to convey an adequate sense of content, but they are more informative than those in Carlsen, Bibliography to the Classical Tradition in English Literature (S4893). Indexed by authors and subjects. Although there are notable omissions, Kallendorf is a time-saving compilation that brings together widely scattered studies. Review: Fram Dinshaw, Notes and Queries ns 31.2 (1984): 265–66.

French-Language Literatures

S4905

Beugnot, B., and J.-M. Moureaux. Manuel bibliographique des études littéraires: Les bases de l’histoire littéraire, les voies nouvelles de l’analyse critique. Paris: Nathan, 1982. 478 pp. Nathan-Université. Z6511.B48 [PN544] 016.809.

A guide to reference works (through c. 1980) important to the study of French-language literature. The approximately 3,400 entries are listed by publication date within extensively classified divisions: general reference works (with sections for general works, bibliographies, periodicals, surveys of research, and textual criticism and major editions), literary history and criticism (history of criticism, literary history, literature and other arts, ideas and themes, genres, poetic theory, imagery and myth, literature and psychoanalysis, and literature and sociology), and new areas of study (French-language literature outside France and children’s and popular literature). Few entries are annotated, but each division, section, and subsection is preceded by a brief overview of reference works. Two indexes: scholars (at the end of the book); subjects (at the beginning). This is the fullest guide to reference works on French literature, but users would benefit from more annotations.

Although more selective, Fernande Bassan, Donald C. Spinelli, and Howard A. Sullivan, French Language and Literature: An Annotated Bibliography (New York: Garland, 1989; 365 pp.; Garland Reference Lib. of the Humanities 954), is an important complement since it covers publications through early 1988 and offers brief—but generally adequate and accurate—descriptive annotations for more than 1,250 reference works and critical studies. Even more selective—but also more current—is Michel Brix, Guide bibliographique des études d’histoire de la littérature française, 3rd ed., rev. and augmented (Namur: Bibliothèque Universitaire Moretus Plantin, 1992; 138 pp.; Bibliothèque Universitaire Moretus Plantin 2).

A judiciously selective, evaluative guide to bibliographies is Richard Kempton, French Literature: An Annotated Guide to Selected Bibliographies (New York: MLA, 1981; 42 pp.; Selected Bibliogs. in Lang. and Lit. 2), which includes brief sections on French Canadian and other French-language literatures.

German Literature

S4915

Hansel, Johannes, and Lydia Kaiser. Literaturrecherche für Germanisten: Studienausgabe. 10th ed. Berlin: Schmidt, 2003. 280 pp. (Former title: Bücherkunde für Germanisten: Studienausgabe.) Z2235.A2 H3 [PT84] 016.43.

An annotated guide to reference works (primarily in German) important to the study of German language and literature. The approximately 1,528 entries are organized in two classified divisions: Internet sites; print and electronic resources. The latter has subdivisions for general reference works on linguistics and literary history and scholarship (with sections for general literary and linguistic studies, German language and literature, and general reference works), closed bibliographies (general bibliographies of scholarship on language and literature, German language and literature, general topics), serial bibliographies of scholarship (general bibliographies of scholarship on language and literature, German language and literature, bibliographies of bibliographies), other serial bibliographies (national bibliographies, dissertation bibliographies, bibliographies of periodical articles), periodicals, and professional topics. Each subdivision is preceded by a comparative overview of works, but the annotations tend to be very brief descriptions of scope and content. Two indexes: persons and titles; subjects.

Italian Literature

S4925

Baroni, Giorgio, and Mario Puppo. Manuale critico-bibliografico per lo studio della letteratura italiana. 5th ed. Torino: Internazionale, 2002. 673 pp. Z2354.C3 P87 [PQ4037].

A guide to reference works (through c. 2000) that are important to the study of Italian language and literature. The first division lists general guides to Italian literature, bibliographies, journals, collections and anthologies, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and literary histories. The remaining divisions consist of essay overviews accompanied by selective bibliographies on literary criticism and philology (with discussions of textual criticism, criticism, literary history, and metrics); linguistics and stylistics (language, grammar, and vocabulary; the Italian language; and the history of language in Italy); literary periods or movements; and 30 major authors. Indexed by persons. Although more descriptive than evaluative, with access hampered by the lack of subject indexing, Baroni and Puppo is the standard guide to Italian literary scholarship.

Latin-Language Literatures (Medieval and Neo-Latin)

S4935

IJsewijn, Jozef, and Dirk Sacré. Companion to Neo-Latin Studies. 2nd ed. 2 vols. Leuven: Leuven UP, 1990–98. Humanistica Lovaniensia Supplementa 5, 14. PA8020.I37 870′.9′003.

A survey and bibliography of Latin-language works written between 1300 and 1990. Vol. 1 offers a country-by-country history of Neo-Latin literature; each chapter concludes with a selective list of bibliographies, general works, cultural and literary histories, studies of genres, anthologies, and journals. Vol. 2 provides selective bibliographies of genres, language and style, prosody and metrics, texts and editions, and the development of Neo-Latin studies. Five indexes in each volume: persons; places; literary subjects; other subjects; manuscripts. Written for the most part by one of the foremost Neo-Latinists, the Companion is the essential guide to the subject, important for its historical surveys as well as its compilation of widely dispersed scholarship and editions.

S4940

Strecker, Karl. Introduction to Medieval Latin. Trans. and rev. Robert B. Palmer. 4th ed. Dublin: Weidmann, 1967. 174 pp. PA2816.S87.

A survey of reference sources, editions, and scholarship (principally through 1955, with some additions through 1961) that describes and occasionally evaluates general reference works, dictionaries, literary histories, periodicals, libraries, paleographical guides, and studies of language, poetry, and prose. Additions and corrections appear on pp. 161–74. Two indexes: subjects; scholars. Although poorly organized in places and now dated, the Introduction remains a standard guide. Supplement coverage with IJsewijn, Companion to Neo-Latin Studies (S4935); Albert C. Friend, “Medieval Latin Literature,” pp. 1–33 in Fisher, Medieval Literature of Western Europe (M1830); and Medieval Latin: An Introduction and Bibliographical Guide, ed. F. A. C. Mantello and A. G. Rigg (Washington: Catholic U of America P, 1996; 774 pp.). The first part of the last work lists reference works; however, the descriptions and evaluations are sometimes inaccurate (e.g., Bibliographie internationale de l’humanisme et de la Renaissance [M2025] is deemed “comprehensive”), and the lack of a subject index makes the work much less accessible than it should be.

Portuguese-Language Literatures

S4950

Chamberlain, Bobby J. Portuguese Language and Luso-Brazilian Literature: An Annotated Guide to Selected Reference Works. New York: MLA, 1989. 95 pp. Selected Bibliogs. in Lang. and Lit. 6. Z2725.A2 C45 [PC5041] 016.869.

A selective guide to reference works, for the most part published since 1945, for the study of the Portuguese language and Luso-Brazilian literature. The approximately 538 entries (including numbered cross-references) are organized in extensively classified divisions for Portuguese language, Portuguese literature, Brazilian literature, and Luso-African and other lusophone literatures. The annotations are largely descriptive, although some offer evaluations. Indexed by authors. Given the relatively small number of separate works cited, Portuguese Language and Luso-Brazilian Literature includes a disconcerting number of errors and amount of outdated information.

Russian Literature

S4960

Zalewski, Wojciech. Fundamentals of Russian Reference Work in the Humanities and Social Sciences. New York: Russica, 1985. 170 pp. Russica Bibliog. Ser. 5. Z2491.A1 Z3 016.016947.

———. Russian Reference Works. SULAIR (Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources). Leland Stanford Junior U, 27 June 2005. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/slavic/3refint.html>.

A guide to important reference works for the study of the humanities and social sciences in Russia. The essay overviews (interspersed with lists of works) are organized in two divisions: general works (with sections for publishing; theory and history of bibliography; libraries, archives, and museums; general bibliographies; other reference sources) and subject bibliographies (with sections for bibliographic institutions, history, literature, linguistics and languages, social sciences, law, and the humanities). Particularly helpful are the evaluations and comparisons of works, descriptions of Russian bibliographical networks, and suggestions for search strategies. Concludes with a list of numbered monographic series published in the West. Indexed by persons.

Russian Reference Works, which emphasizes post-1970 publications, updates the coverage of Fundamentals of Russian Reference Work but offers few evaluations or comparisons. Entries are organized in three sections: general bibliographies, nonbibliographic reference sources, and subject bibliographies (humanities and social sciences); the humanities subdivision includes sections for book history, history, language, literature, philosophy, religion, and the arts. Because each subdivision is a static Web page with hyperlinks to subheads, users cannot search the entire file. Although hampered by its lack of navigability, Russian Reference Works and Fundamentals are indispensable guides to the identification and effective use of reference sources for research in the humanities and social sciences in Russia.

Spanish-Language Literatures

S4970

Woodbridge, Hensley C. Guide to Reference Works for the Study of the Spanish Language and Literature and Spanish American Literature. 2nd ed. New York: MLA, 1997. 236 pp. Z2695.A2 W66 [PC4071] 016.46.

A selective, annotated bibliography of reference works essential in the study of Spanish language and literature in Europe and the western hemisphere. Woodbridge emphasizes works published between 1950 and c. 1996, gives preference to annotated bibliographies, and includes works devoted to a single author. The 1,230 entries are organized in five extensively classified (and variously organized) divisions: general bibliographies, Spanish of Spain, American Spanish, Spanish literature of Europe, and Spanish literature of the western hemisphere. The brief annotations are largely descriptive, although some offer evaluative comments. Three indexes: authors, editors, compilers, and translators; literary authors; titles. Judicious selection and clear annotations make Woodbridge a valuable guide to the major print reference works in its field; the second edition unaccountably ignores electronic resources.

Woodbridge’s coverage of resources for the study of the Spanish language and Spanish-language literature in Latin America and the Caribbean is frequently superior in his “Bibliography,” Latin America and the Caribbean: A Critical Guide to Research Sources, ed. Paula H. Covington (New York: Greenwood, 1992; Bibliogs. and Indexes in Latin Amer. and Caribbean Studies 2) 457–93. Here, annotations are more evaluative than in his Guide.

Broader in scope, but less trustworthy in its selection and accuracy, is Donald W. Bleznick, A Sourcebook for Hispanic Literature and Language: A Selected, Annotated Guide to Spanish, Spanish-American, and United States Hispanic Bibliography, Literature, Linguistics, Journals, and Other Source Material, 3rd ed. (Lanham: Scarecrow, 1995; 310 pp.).