Research Guides: The Bluest Eye and Beasts of No Nation: Background Information

Selected Resources

Masterpieces of African-American Literature
PS153 .N5 M264 1992

The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature

The Handbook of African American Literature

The Oxford Companion to African American Literature
PS153 .N5 O96 1997 (Stauffer Reference)

The Cambridge Companion to African American Women's Literature
PS153.N5 C343 2009

The Cambridge Companion to the African American Novel
PS374.N4 C36 2004

The Cambridge Companion to Toni Morrison
PS3563.O8749 Z58 2007

Critical Companion to Toni Morrison

Literature and its Times. (Beloved , v.4)
PN50 .L574 1997 (Education Library Reference)

Oxford Companion to English Literature

Historical Resources

Encyclopedia of American History
REF E174.E53

Unlike other encyclopedic sets, EAH is arranged chronologically rather than alphabetically. Volume 1 covers prehistory through the founding of Jamestown (1607); the second volume runs from 1608 to 1760. The remaining eight volumes cover ten- to fifty-year time spans apiece, while volume 11 serves as the set's index. Entries include key people, places, events, documents, and significant concepts in American history and range in length from a single paragraph to several pages. All entries are written by subject specialist and contain bibliographies of monographs, articles, and Web sites. Each volume opens with a well-written introduction framing the book's time period and includes maps, illustrations, a chronology, a collection of important documents, and a detailed bibliography.

Oxford Companion to United States History
Excellent single-volume reference work with over 1,400 entries that covers all aspects of American history from colonial times to the present.

Historical Encyclopedia of World Slavery
HT861 .H57 1997 (Stauffer Reference)

Reference Sources

Specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries and other resources are useful for obtaining background information on a topic, in addition to helping you focus your topic and identify the main concepts, terms and keywords that describe your topic

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide a general overview of a subject and information such as names, dates, and facts. They also provide historical and political events that may have impacted a person's work and the society and culture in which they lived and worked.

Dictionaries are useful for more than just looking up definitions. A historical dictionary, such as the Oxford English Dictionary, includes full etymologies, and dated quotations to show shifting meanings over time.

To find encyclopedias or dictionaries on your topic, search Omni using the keywords of your topic combined with "encyclopedia" or "dictionaries".