Supernatural Literature of the World [Three Volumes] [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia [Hardcover]

Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (Editor), S. T. Joshi (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313327742 | ISBN-13: 978-0313327742 | Publication Date: September 30, 2005 | Edition: Special

Read widely and studied at all levels, supernatural literature is one of the most significant and enduring types of writing. Comprehensive in scope, this encyclopedia provides thorough coverage of literature of the supernatural. The most exhaustive work of its kind, it includes entries on authors, works, and numerous topics, including alien abduction, drama, ghouls, and Latin literature. Entries draw on current scholarship, with special attention to recent writers.

The literature of the supernatural has had a distinguished history over the past two centuries, while the incorporation of the supernatural in literary works can be traced back as far as classical antiquity. Such prominent writers as Edith Wharton and Henry James made use of the supernatural in their writings, and numerous contemporary writers continue to do so. Supernatural literature is widely enjoyed by high school students and general readers, and scholars are devoting more and more attention to it. This encyclopedia provides thorough coverage of the literature of the supernatural.

The most exhaustive work of its kind, it covers authors and works from the ancient world to the present. Two of the world's foremost authorities on supernatural literature have coordinated a team of internationally recognized contributors, including: Mike Ashley, Benjamin F. Fisher, Paula Guran, Stephen Jones, Darrell Schweitzer, and Brian Stableford.

While other references chiefly offer biographical and critical information, this encyclopedia also provides entries on numerous special topics, including: Alien Abduction, Curses, Dreams and Nightmares, Fantasy Tales, Feminism, Hinduism, Islam, Munsey Magazines, Occultism, Southern Gothic, Urban Legends, Voodoo, Werewolves, and many more.

The set includes roughly 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries and presents the work of some 70 contributors. It provides entries on such major canonical writers as Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and Oscar Wilde, while also devoting attention to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, R. L. Stine, and other popular contemporary writers. Entries also include special topics and cultural traditions in the genre. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography of major works on supernatural literature.

Supernatural literature figures prominently in the curriculum, and students are often interested in reading such works on their own. This encyclopedia is an essential tool for student research on supernatural literature and world literary traditions, and is equally valuable for teachers planning related courses. Both school and public libraries need this work to support the interests of general readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Extensive and ambitious, this encyclopedia has nearly 1,000 entries packed into it and ranges through the work of about 600 writers, editors, publishers, critics, and magazines. Defining supernatural literature as "literature that is avowedly postulated to have expanded, refuted, or contravened the laws of nature as currently understood," the editors have drawn from the ranks of writers of science fiction, fantasy, psychological suspense, and other genres. In addition to covering supernatural elements in the works of canonical writers like Dickens and Shakespeare, they include modern authors like Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan. There are writers from about 20 countries and from various time periods up to the present. More than 160 entries briefly discuss individual works. Children's and YA literature are represented in entries such as Children's literature (supernatural in) and Goose bumps. A number of topical entries treat common motifs, the influence of religions and philosophies, and various genres and other topics, beginning with Alien abduction and ending with Zombies, with stops along the way for Curses, Dreams and nightmares, Occultism, Southern Gothic, Urban legends, and Voodoo. Not included are "writers who have worked entirely in the realm of fantasy," such as J. K. Rowling. Also excluded is consideration of film and television.

Editors Joshi and Dziemianowicz have published extensively in the field of supernatural literature and are aided here by 64 other contributors, including Everett F. Bleiler, Richard Bleiler, Paula Guran, Stephen Jones, and Brian Stableford. Signed entries are generally analytical and evaluative and range from 250 to 3,000 words, with bibliographies for the more substantive ones. Cross-references within entries are in bold. The text is accompanied by occasional black-and-white illustrations and brief excerpts from works. Alphabetical and topical lists of entries begin each volume, and three indexes close the set--a general index, an index of fictional characters, and an index of motifs. A general bibliography alerts users to selected major indexes, guides, and studies of supernatural literature, although the editors specify that this encyclopedia is not designed to provide comprehensive bibliographies for the writers, works, or topics covered.

As the foreword by Ramsey Campbell promises, Supernatural Literature of the World provides a "generous scope" and a "wealth of critical insight." Previous bio--bibliographies and guides on the topic have generally been more limited in their coverage. The work is enthusiastically recommended for academic and large public libraries; since supernatural literature is popular with teens, high-school libraries might consider it, too. Joseph Thomas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"From alien abductions to vampires and zombies, the use of particular motifs is traced. The influence of religion on the supernatural elements of fiction is also explored. All told, some 973 topics are covered. While many illustrations depict film adaptations, the focus here is on writing. Discussion of horror film and television is excluded. Although the editors wrote the majority of the entries, the 66 well-published contributors include Mike Ashley, Brian Stableford, Stephen Jones and Everett F. Bleiler. Many entries include extensive bibliographies. An index of fictional characters allows readers to identify favorite figures from Diedrich Knickerbocker to John the Balladeer. Additional indexes include motifs, authors, book titles and general subjects. This detailed guide should prove popular in both public and academic libraries."

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Lawrence Looks at Books

"This reference covers authors and works from the ancient world to the present. The encyclopedia features nearly 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries including such major canonical writers as Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and Oscar Wilde, along with popular contemporary authors like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and R.L. Stine."

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Library Media Connection

"[R]unning the gamut from film to fiction to theme entries to authors, and many entries are appealingly outfitted with illustrations or excerpts….[t]his reference work may be indispensable."

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Fantasy & Science Fiction

"Starred Review Extensive and ambitious, this encyclopedia has nearly 1,000 entries packed into it and ranges through the work of about 600 writers, editors, publishers, critics, and magazines. Defining supernatural literature as literature that is avowedly postulated to have expanded, refuted, or contravened the laws of nature as currently understood, the editors have drawn from the ranks of writers of science fiction, fantasy, psychological suspense, and other genres. In addition to covering supernatural elements in the works of canonical writers like Dickens and Shakespeare, they include modern authors like Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan. There are writers from about 20 countries and from various time periods up to the present….The work is enthusiastically recommended for academic and large public libraries; since supernatural literature is popular with teens, high-school libraries might consider it, too."

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Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

"This expansive multivolume encyclopedia brims with over 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries. Canonical writers like Poe and contemporary writers like King are equally represented. Unlike E. F. Bleiler's biographically based Supernatural Fiction Writers (CH, Jul'03, 40-6151), this set also contains entries on seminal works, fictional elements, and subgenres. All entries are descriptive and analytic, and many conclude with a bibliography of critical works. Researchers will find the indexes to fictional characters and motifs particularly valuable….[a] welcome addition to libraries collecting or supporting research in this genre. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty."

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Choice

"[I]ts scope and quality make it the single most important reference work on its subject to date. Enthusiastically recommended for all but the smallest public and academic libraries."

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Reference & User Services Quarterly

"[T]o be recommended as a scholarly and well-produced source of all kinds of information about its subject."

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Reference Reviews

"This set would be useful in settings where the supernatural is often researched. The entries on motifs contain descriptions of titles that employ that motif. This could assist students who are looking for works with a particular theme."

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Library Media Connection

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1556 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood; Special edition (September 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313327742
• ISBN-13: 978-0313327742
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 4.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,227,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

S. T. Joshi (Seattle, WA) is a freelance writer, scholar, and editor whose previous books include Documents of American Prejudice; In Her Place: A Documentary History of Prejudice against Women; God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong; Atheism: A Reader; H. L. Mencken on Religion; The Agnostic Reader; and What Is Man? And Other Irreverent Essays by Mark Twain.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Supernatural Literature Of The World, May 2, 2011

By 

John Sherman (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Supernatural Literature of the World [Three Volumes] [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

Supernatural Literature Of The World is an amazing set of books. Anyone with a serious interest in supernatural, weird, and/or horror fiction should make the financial sacifice and buy this set. Unlike most encylopedias, which I use when I need specific information, I plan on reading these books cover to cover. The only failing is one of design, not scholarship. The body text type face is difficult to read.