Customer Reviews

Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia: Fourth Edition

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, a favorite literary reference source for many years, has been substantially revised and updated in recent years with more emphasis on African American, Eastern, Middle Eastern, African, South American, Eastern European, and women's literature.

Benet's compilation includes biographies of authors and poets, short summaries of literary works, historical data on literary movements, and definitions of literary terms. Other entries encompass more general topics that might interest readers: historical definitions (Napoleon Bonaparte, Congress of Vienna, Vietnam War, Vikings), religious terms (trimurti - Hindu, Trinity - Christian, tripitaka - Buddhist), and art and music references (e.g., Grandma Moses, Picasso, and Mozart).

I find Benet's short essays and definitions to be well-written and quite helpful. It is an excellent reference work.

However, my personal favorite is the Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, a joint effort of Merriam Webster and Encyclopedia of Britannica. Benet's and Merriam Webster's compilations overlap considerably, but they are not identical.

Benet's work is less complete; most notably it has fewer definitions for literary terms as well as fewer biographies of authors and poets. I find that Merriam-Webster's has many more descriptive essays on specific literary works and poems. For example, Benet's does not have an entry for The Name of the Rose, I Sing the Body Electric, Love in the Time of Cholera, For the Union Dead, or many other titles found in Merriam Webster.

Where Benet's and Merriam Webster's have the same entry (e.g., Cervantes, Charlie Chan, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Paradise Lost), they are both quite good. Merriam Webster's has some photos and drawings scattered throughout the text; Benet's does not.

I give 5 stars to Merriam Webster's and 4 stars to Benet's.

My Benet has been a constant companion for 15 years. A few days ago I reluctantly turned in my tattered old copy for the new edition. In my opinion, only Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and the Oxford Dictionary of Aphorisms can match Benet for sheer browsing pleasure. The most impressive thing about this reference is its amazing range - the literatures of many countries, history, philosophy, language, even science and politics. There are innumerable short biographies, articles on individual literary characters and many handy plot summaries. All in a well bound paperback that can be read lying down! I also have a fatal weakness for the Oxford Companions, but if you are looking for a single volume guide to the literary world, look no further than Benet.

Unlike the correspondent from San Merino below, I love the non-literary historical and political entries and details. I have found this to be the ultimate source for brushing up on cross-references in books. I've found it most useful when something I'm reading refers to history or another literary work--but I'm momentarily stumped on the details of the reference. Much more efficient to look it up in Benet's than to wander through the library hoping a quickly-glimpsed spine will trigger a memory.

Like a website and links, one has difficulty just reading the item searched for. One entry leads to another and time is fast swallowed up. This is the third edition of the Benet book I have owned. The original first edition is in shreds, but I will not give it up. Another edition came in two volumes. It was okay but I remained partial to Mr. Benet's original. This latest edition is absolutely superb with lots of updating and handy format and size. Some entries in earlier editions are missing, but minor concern. .
My Benet's work was a major assist in my earning under graduate and graduate degrees with majors in English! Perfect for last minute exam review and just informative reading.
I am buying two more copies for gifts!

This is one encyclopedia that is actually fun to read and browse. I fully join in the earlier reviewers' praise for this book. I do, however, have a couple of constructive criticisms. First, much too much space is devoted to non-literary historical and political figures and events. Hopefully, the next edition will cut down on this stuff, so that more "minor" writers can be included, especially contemporary writers and writers from the non-English speaking world. (In this respect, the Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature is probably a more comprehensive reference.) Second, too many entries about particular works are merely brief plot summaries that do not convey to the uneducated reader (such as this one) the essential meaning or significance of the work in question. That said, Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia is one great reference book to have around.

If you ever have a fire and can only rescue one thing - let this book be it!! Covering everything from historical information to biblical references, this book allows one to look up who wrote what and when, and also lists anything else written by that person. Everything is wonderfully cross-referenced and easy to use.

Want to know who wrote what play or opera, you can find it. Want to know about the Monroe Doctrine - it is there! Want to learn about King George III, right - "it's in there".

A sure bet for anyone interested in fiction, history, poetry, opera, art etc.

A handy reference work for scholars, literature students, readers and booksellers, the headings include authors, titles, literary terms, fictional protagonists, historical personages, and so forth. This is one to keep at arm's reach, right there next to the dictionary.

A quick & ready reference for unfamiliar terms encountered during literary jaunts and journeys, and a great aid for booksellers needing some accurate background information to list a literary find online! One wishes the numerous online booksellers just entering the fray would purchase a copy, and familiarize themselves just a little with the world of books and literature of which they have become purveyors! - I've seen listings that betray the seller's ignorance of the difference between Winston Churchill the British statesman (& prime minister), and Winston Churchill the American novelist! A quick check of this easy reference work would have made the difference between accuracy and diletantism!

Although the first edition remains the standard bearer, the Reader's Encyclopedia continues to hold a wealth of information which not only instructs readers on their specific subject search, but allows readers to gain a broader insight of the subject matter through simple cross referencing. One strong point of the Reader's Encyclopedia is the fact that it does not limit itself to literature, but adds entries from other intellectual and cultural movements which effect, or have been effected, by literature.

I purchased this for myself my second year of college. Being an English major especially interested in the Modernists, it soon became the most used volume in my bookcase. A fantastic quick reference when crunched for time and excellent for understanding those oh-so-esoteric literary allusions. It's wonderful, with references for historical and artistic events and movements, novels, epics, authors, poets . . . a must for any lover and/or student of literature. This would make a fantastic gift, too!

He drove an ambulance during World War 1, before becoming one of America's most famous novelists. Who wrote "Death of a Salesman"? Who wrote "Manhattan Transfer? Who created the character, Sherlock Holmes"? Holden Caulfield was the main character of what famous novel? Who wrote "Catch-22"? These are just some of the questions that "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia" can answer. Bruce Murphy's book offers biographical notes on writers, synopsis of famous books, plays and poems, descriptions of characters and detailed explanation of literary terms and movements.

I have had my copy of Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia since its publication in 1987 and have found no better reference tool for writing research papers and for general literary inquiries. Although "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia" is over-due for a major facelift, it continues to be a valuable tool - I keep my copy at arms reach along with my copy of "Oxford Companion to American Literature", by James D. Hart.