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English Literature

Finding Bibliographies

Bibliographies are useful for finding the most important publications on a given topic and can range from the general to the specific. There are specialized bibliographies on individual authors, genres, topics and periods. 

The most general are library catalogs (Omni) and union catalogs (e.g. Amicus, the National Union Catalog, the British Library General Catalogue of Printed Books to 1975 to name a few).

More specialized bibliographies may be more useful for seeking works on a given topic. For more bibliographies, see those listed under Genre Guides and History of Criticism.

If you are working on a topic that is of interest to many others, you may find that someone has already compiled a bibliography for you. 

To find bibliographies in Omni, search by keyword by typing "bibliography" or "reference guide" and topical keyword.

"english literature" AND bibliography

Also consider searching by subject heading in the Advanced Search screen and adding the term, bibliography. For example:

To find bibliographies for individual authors, search for the author's name as a subject and scroll down to the sub-heading "bibliography" if available.

Dickens Charles 1812-1870--Bibliography

Specialized Bibliographies

Watson, George & I.R. Wilson, eds. The New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature.
REF Z2011 .N45
In addition to listing works by and about British authors, the five-volume NCBEL, which was published between 1969 and 1977, lists more general works such as bibliographies, literary histories, and surveys, special studies, memoirs, and works on related topics such as book production and publishing, theatre, history, philosophy, and religion.
 
Watson, George, ed. The Shorter New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature.
REF Z2011 .S417 .1981
Condenses the NCBEL by focussing on major authors, and listing critical works more selectively.
 
Cox, Michael, ed. The Oxford Chronology of English Literature.
REF Z2011 .O98 2002
Based on The Annals of English Literature (1935), this work arranges select lists of 30,000 significant works of literature by year of publication, from 1474 to 2000.
 
The Eighteenth Century: a Current Bibliography
REF Z2012 .E34t
Issued annually since 1975, these bibliographies of criticism and scholarship continue an earlier series begun in 1926. Sections in the most recent numbers include Printing and Bibliographic Studies; Historical, Social, and Economic Studies; Philosophy, Science, and Religion; Fine Arts; Foreign Literatures and Languages; British Literatures; New World Literatures and Languages.
 
Provides peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies that lists books, journals, primary documents, web resources, and multimedia in various discipline-based subject modules including one specifically on Victorian Literature.
 
The  WSBO is an extensive database of Shakespeare scholarship and theatrical productions published or produced since 1960 to the present.
 

Research Guides and Bibliographies of Bibliographies

Harner, James L. Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies. 5th ed.
REF Z2011 .H34 2008.
Lists and describes general and specialized bibliographies as well as research handbooks, literary handbooks, guides to manuscripts and archives, indexes, databases, periodicals, and works on literary genres and national literatures in English.
 
Marcuse, Michael J. A Reference Guide for English Studies.
REF PR56 .M37 1990
Covers major library catalogs; national bibliographies; serial publications; archives and manuscripts; American and English literature by time period; and the profession of English.
 
Howard-Hill, T. H. Bibliography of British Literary Bibliographies. 2nd ed.
REF Z2011 .A1 H68 1987t
A good source for finding specialized bibliographies of scholarship about authors, literary subjects, forms and genres, literary periods, regional literatures, and various aspects of book production and publishing.

Oxford Bibliographies offers authoritative research guides helping you to narrow the vast number of citations to the best scholarship on a given topic.

There are research guides on American Literature, British and Irish Literature, Literary and Critical Theory and Victorian Literature.