Ernest Hemingway A to Z [Paperback]

Charles M. Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Series: Facts on File | Publication Date: June 1999

The powerful and groundbreaking novels and short stories of Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway have had a lasting influence on twentieth-century literature. The 100th anniversary of his birth in 1999 will bring increased attention to his life and works. Ernest Hemingway A to Z examines every aspect of the life, work, and legacy of this literary icon.

In addition to providing detailed synopses of all of Hemingway's novels, short stories, plays, and nonfiction writings, the book draws on a vast array of letters, bibliography, criticism, correspondence, reviews, and the text themselves. This invaluable encyclopedia answers every reader's questions about this quintessentially American writer.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-This remarkable series continues with two authors prominent in the high school curriculum. Students will be comfortable with the easy-to-use format and appreciate the readable articles. Information is provided on the writers' lives and the periods in which they lived. Explanations of allusions, details from the works, and the characters are extensive. Literary information such as form or language is clarified. This is especially strong in Chaucer, which includes the pronunciation of the Middle English. Plot summaries are detailed. Chaucer's lesser-known works and Hemingway's journalistic writing and poetry are included. The bibliography is more extensive in Hemingway, and Web sites are given only in Chaucer. All libraries will benefit from these extensive resources.
Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816039348
• ISBN-13: 978-0816039340
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #782,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource regarding Hemingway's life and works., July 24, 1999

By 

Craig McDonald "mcdonaldent" (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ernest Hemingway A to Z: The Essential Reference to the Life and Work (Literary A to Z) (Hardcover)

Oliver's "A To Z" joins Michael Reynolds' "Hemingway, The Final Years," as one of the two or three really valuable books to be issued or reissued in this, the centennial year of Hemingway's birth. As a Hemingway scholar, former editor of "The Hemingway Review" and a dealer in collectible Hemingway editions, Oliver is eminently suited to the task of preparing what amounts to a Hemingway encyclopedia. Casual readers of Hemingway's work and Papa aficionados will find equal value in this book. It is particularly refreshing to have a volume such as this one that confines itself to the facts of the life and the (reasonable) scholarly conjectures regarding the text and subtext of Hemingway's books and short stories. To his credit, Oliver doesn't feel compelled to include listings for Duff Twysden or Harold Loeb, citing them as "obvious" inspirations for certain fictional characters who crop up in a certain Hemingway novel released in the mid-Twenties. One caveat: Given the fact that this book is intended as a reference volume - and therefore a book to be consulted more than once - it is lamentable such a thin grade of paper was chosen (blame the publisher, not Oliver). Therefore, take durability where you can find it and buy the hardback edition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Any student of Hemingway needs this book!, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ernest Hemingway A to Z: The Essential Reference to the Life and Work (Literary A to Z) (Hardcover)

Charles Oliver has put together a remarkable reference book for both Hemingway fans and scholars alike. As the title suggests, this is a truly "essential" book for the serious student studying Hemingway's life or his work. It includes summaries of all the novels, all the stories, many of his newspaper and magazine articles and a wealth of biographical and historical information. The book also has one of the finest bibliographies of Hemingway and Hemingway-related works available. On top of all this is a wonderul, easy-to-read timeline of Hemingway's life and the important events which helped shape the work of this century's most enduring author.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly An Essential Reference, February 8, 2001

By 

timelesshemingway.com (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ernest Hemingway A to Z (Paperback)

Concordance like in nature, Oliver's "Ernest Hemingway: A to Z" is one of those books that should always be within arm's reach. It contains detailed plot summaries not only for all of Hemingway's novels, but also his short stories, nearly 50 b&w photos of Ernest in all his glory, a Hemingway family tree, an extensive bibliography of works by and about Hemingway, a list of film, stage, television, and radio adaptations of Hemingway's work, and a Hemingway chronology. Oliver deserves great praise for this invaluable contribution to Hemingway scholarship.