From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-As hard as it might be to think of R. L. Stine and Stephen King as major writers, their inclusion in the updated edition of this title (Gale, 1991; o.p.) is important for high school librarians. Including approximately 200 new entries, this collection of 1000 modern and contemporary authors from around the world is a handy compendium of literary biography and analysis. It is perfect for students looking for some facts (including contact information) on favorite writers such as Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, Danielle Steel, or Amy Tan. It is also useful as a quick reference for the curious kid who wants to know why Northrop Frye's name keeps coming up at the lunch table. The three- to eight-page entries are clear and easy to read. They begin with personal information, career highlights, and a list of writings (and adaptations made from their works), followed by a brief critical biography, and end with a short bibliography. Occasionally, the critical bios get bogged down in an overabundance of quotations that are wrenched out of context, thus reading like a desperate attempt to cram as many citations and opinions as possible into a short essay. Two indexes (nationality/ethnicity and genre/subject) are included in volume five.-Herman Sutter, Saint Pius X High School, Houston, TX
Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
