LIT 255/321/421/422/499 and ENGL 612 : Shakespeare: Reference Shelf

The book titles listed below contain biographical essays and/or bibliographies (often annotated). Essays reflect literary scholars' understanding of the scholarship on Shakespeare (at the date of writing) and often introduce students to unresolved disciplinary debates. These are scholarly sources written by academics, but use them for context and secondary-source discovery. Generally it is unnecessary to cite reference works in a research paper.

Biography:

Students interested in Shakespeare biography may wish to begin their research by reading "The Biographical Study of Shakespeare," published in a recent (2017) volume of Shakespearean Criticism.

Bibliography:

Find below Shakespeare companions from several publishers. A companion is a kind of "handbook intended to be used in connection with the study of a particular subject or field. This type of reference work is often an edited collection of essays" (ODLIS). Only titles published after 2000 appear on this list.

ABC-CLIO

Blackwell

Online:

Print only:

Cambridge

Online:

Cambridge Companions incorporates multiple volumes on Shakespeare, ten of which are available as e-books from from Literature Online (LION).

• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Contemporary Dramatists (c2012);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture (c2007);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film (2010);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage (2002);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Comedy (2002);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy (c2002; 2nd ed. c2013 available in print);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's History Plays (c2002);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Last Plays (c2009);
• The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Poetry (c2007); and
• The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare (c2010).

Print only:

Six additional Cambridge companions, listed below, are available only in print.

Duke

Facts on File

Greenwood

Oxford

A concordance is an "alphabetically arranged index of the principal words or selected words in a text, or in the works of an author, giving the precise location of each word in the text, with a brief indication of its context. Concordances are usually devoted to very well known works, such as the Bible, or to the works of major writers (Chaucer, Shakespeare, etc.)" (ODLIS).

Concordances might seem old-fashioned, but can still come in handy. For example, imagine being able to see in one colocated list all of the instances in which Shakespeare employed the word "savage" in his plays and sonnets. Concordances to many of Shakespeare's plays (e.g., Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Romeo and Juliet) are available for free online. Contact me for more information.

Online:

A dictionary is a "single-volume or multivolume reference work containing brief explanatory entries for terms and topics related to a specific subject or field of inquiry, usually arranged alphabetically. The entries in a dictionary are usually shorter than those contained in an encyclopedia on the same subject..." (ODLIS). A few of the titles listed below are better described as glossaries.

General:

Illustrated:

Invective:

Knowledge/Sources:

Language:

Mythology:

Names:

Pronunciation:

Quotations:

Theater:

An encyclopedia is a "book or numbered set of books containing authoritative summary information about a variety of topics in the form of short essays, usually arranged alphabetically by headword or classified in some manner. An entry may be signed or unsigned, with or without illustration or a list of references for further reading" (ODLIS).

Firefly Books:

Greenwood:

MJF Books:

A handbook is a "single-volume reference book of compact size that provides concise factual information on a specific subject, organized systematically for quick and easy access" (ODLIS). Introductions function similarly.

Arden:

Cambridge:

Greenwood:

Oxford:

Online:

Print only:

Routledge: