Customer Reviews

The New York Public Library Literature Companion

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First of all, I need to say that you won't find absolutely everything here, so don't expect to. Neither will you find deep philosophical discussions exploring the multiple levels of an author's intent. I say this only because in some reviews of other reference books in the New York Public Library collection, some reviewers have complained that some favorite item of theirs was not included. To summarize this paragraph, there's a lot here for most people, but not everything for everyone.

What you will find are a great number of literary references broken down into a little over a dozen general categories. For instance, under "Authors," there are a couple of hundred two columned pages of brief discussions of authors and their key works.

Under "Works of Literature," you will find almost as many discussions of novels, plays, poetry and other forms of written works.

One of my favorite sections is "Characters." Has the name of some literary character ever come up in a conversation and you can't quite remember where he or she came from? This is the easiest reference I've ever found for obtaining that sort of answer.

In addition there are such sections as "Literary Awards", "Great Book" lists, "Literary Periodals," a "Dictionary of Literature," a "Chronology of Literature," and many more convenient breakdowns.

Overall, of course, there is a general index which includes all entries in all categories, and which serves as a sort of cross reference between the various categories.

As a previous reviewer has noted, this is a great book to open up at any page and browse to your heart's content. I find myself looking up one item and then following it up with another reference mentioned in that one, and on and on, ad infinitum.

From the day I found this book, it has been one of the most used reference book in my collection.

The Literature Companion is an excellent addition to any reference collection, for a library or at home. The editor has not crammed the pages with trivia, rather she puts readability and usefulness ahead of fact checking. When I look up an entry, say, on Conrad, I'll start browsing the C's and loose track of time. Very interesting and stimulating.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY LITERATURE COMPANION is one of those texts that ought to lie prominently on the shelf of anyone who dares to call himself book smart. The list of potential readers is daunting: bibliophiles, poets, novelists, essayists, English literature majors, and even quiz show contestant wannabes. In its 700 plus pages lies a wealth of erudition not found in any other single volume. Editor Anne Skillion has divided the COMPANION into three broad categories:
1) Creators--which includes biographical sketches of the major figures of Western literary history.
2) Works--which covers in surprising detail the output mentioned in (1) above.
3) Literary Facts--which lists the names of the characters in (1) and (2)

No one pretends that this volume will have enough information to write say, a scholarly paper on one of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, but for one who wishes to taste the Tales for the first time, one could do worse than start here. Further piquing the interest of the erudite reader is a series of sidebars, which are both delightful and informative:
A) Writers on writing
B) First books by 10 American writers
C) Poets at work (Three things are certain: death, taxes, and the fact that poetry rarely pays the rent)
D) The New York Public Library in fiction
E) Shortsighted rejection letters (You'd be amazed at what famous works were rejected by publishers)
F) Nobel Prize in literature winners (Grouped by country)
G) English & American Poets Laureate (Tennyson held this post for 42 years)
H) Standard reference books in literary biography
I) Memorable opening/closing lines (Useful for those taking the GRE in English)
J) Pulitzer Prizes for fiction/poetry/drama
K) Influential literary periodicals
L) Movie adaptations of novels/plays (Great for viewing just before the lit test)
M) Recommended Great Books List (This one is controversial: too many of my favorites were omitted)
N) Landmarks in literary censorship (Includes Lolita, Lady Chatterly's Lover, and The Satanic Verses)

This COMPANION is one of those vanishingly rare breed of reference books that can be read as often as referenced. It avoids the dry as dust patina of scholarly jargonese that infects and afflicts other and similar texts. If you already have the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, then this one is a must buy.

Edward Abbey to Stefan Zweig, the first 262 page section covers "Authors" - of the entire world; a follow-up section of 57 pages covers "Other Influential Figures," from Joseph Addison to Wm. H. Wright; the short sections on "Authors' Awards" and "Sources in Literary Biography" to "Works of Literature," - from "Aaron's Rod" to "Zuckerman Unbound" - will have you delving into the construction of this tome and its endless answers to questions you must know but haven't thought to ask yet. This wonderful reference book fills a need in your personal reference library, and it equals in importance the ownership of "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations" and "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia." Once you turn to a section, you could find yourself reading for hours, for the volume invites this reaction. Many other sections answer questions asked, and you will be glad to have added this reference book to your personal library. The tome answers needs of college and high school students alike - and, also, for the personal learner on their quest for learning.