Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia: Fourth Edition (Hardcover)

~ Bruce Murphy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What does it mean to have the voice of a stentor? Where is John o'Groat's House? Ever heard of a beast epic, or the Jindyworobak Movement? And what is the origin of the word "abracadabra"?

The answers lie in this delicious reference that anyone interested in humility should have; just glimpsing it on the shelf reminds one of how very much there is that one does not know. The thousands of entries in Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia cover anything and nearly everything having to do with literature. The book includes biographies of authors, summaries of books and plays, depictions of characters and mythological figures, explications of literary terms and movements, and, well, a whole bunch of other irresistible stuff that is somewhat quirky and utterly engrossing. (For the curious: a stentor's voice is a very loud voice; John o'Groat's House is considered to be the most northerly point in Great Britain; in a beast epic, "the central characters are animals and the tone is often satirical"; the Jindyworobak Movement is "a school of Australian poets demanding fidelity to Australian environment and the employment of aboriginal themes"; and abracadabra is a cabalistic charm.)

From Booklist

First published in 1948, this book has been a standard literary reference work for nearly 50 years. "The entries explore all aspects of literature from around the world: biographies of poets and playwrights, novelists and belletrists; plot synopses and character sketches from important works; historical data on literary schools, movements, terms and awards; myths and legends; and more." This edition contains hundreds of new entries and has broadened its scope for today's reader, with greater attention to African American, Eastern, Middle Eastern, African, South American, Eastern European, and women's literature. New entries since the last edition (1987) include The Satanic Verses and Kingsolver, Barbara. Existing material has been brought up to date, incorporating new scholarship and interpretations. Updating of individual entries appears to be current through the end of 1995. Editor Murphy is a poet who reminds us that Benet compiled a very entertaining reference work, meant to be "read, browsed through, and savored." No library patron should be denied this pleasure. For high-school, academic, and public libraries.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1168 pages
• Publisher: Collins Reference; 4 Sub edition (August 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006270110X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062701107
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #58,577 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not My Favorite, But A Good Choice, February 23, 2003

By	Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Lives on My Bedside Table, June 27, 2001

By	"bibliomane01" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So dear to my heart, I had to own it, November 29, 1999

By A Customer

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.