The Encyclopedia covers the entire history of British and Irish literature from the seventh century to the present. It includes 500 biographies of authors, and essays on movements, genres, and institutions, whose impact upon British literature was significant. The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature is now also available online from the Oxford's Digital Reference Shelf.

"Entries are written by recognized experts and are authoritative accounts that reflect current scholarship....This comprehensive encyclopedia is an outstanding resource for scholarly information about British writers, works, and literary movements. Highly recommended.."-Philip Charles Crawford, March 2007 Library Media Connection, starred review "The editor's decisions regarding writers and works for inclusion reflect an academic focus and a penchant for the esoteric.... The most valuable aspect of thenew Oxford offering may well be its substantive coverage of topics and themes related to British literature.... Highly recommended."--Booklist, Starred Review "This massive work contains more than 500 alphabetically arranged, signed articles covering 1400 years of British literature.... A vast and valuable resource."--School Library Journal "Occupies its own niche.... A worthy choice."--Against the Grain "The editors of this five-volume encyclopedia chose a lofty aim: to provide readers with a history of British literature in English. They have surpassed that goal with this fine work.... This well-written encyclopedia, though scholarly, is readable enough for the general-interest researcher.... Recommended for public and academic libraries."--Library Journal "The editor's decisions regarding writers and works for inclusion reflect an academic focus and a penchant for the esoteric.... The most valuable aspect of the new Oxford offering may well be its substantive coverage of topics and themes related to British literature.... Highly recommended."--Booklist, Starred Review "This massive work contains more than 500 alphabetically arranged, signed articles covering 1400 years of British literature.... A vast and valuable resource."--School Library Journal "Occupies its own niche.... A worthy choice."--Against the Grain "The editors of this five-volume encyclopedia chose a lofty aim: to provide readers with a history of British literature in English. They have surpassed that goal with this fine work.... This well-written encyclopedia, though scholarly, is readable enough for the general-interest researcher.... Recommended for public and academic libraries."--Library Journal "This comprehensive encyclopedia is an outstanding resource for scholarly information about British writers, works, and literary movements." --Library Media Connection (Starred Review) "This new encyclopedia is a welcome addition to any high school library's reference collection....Entries are written by recognized experts and are authoritative accounts that reflect current scholarship. The primary focus is on the life, works, and critical assessment of major authors ranging from the traditional, Joyce, Austen, and Shakespeare, to the contemporary, Joe Orton, J. K. Rowling, and Jeanette Winterson....The encyclopedia's strengths are many including an impressive representation of women writers from the Middle Ages to the present and the inclusion of significant mid-late 20th century writers. The encyclopedia is well-organized with a useful chronology and a list of topical entries....This comprehensive encyclopedia is an outstanding resource for scholarly information about British writers, works, and literary movements. Highly recommended.."-Philip Charles Crawford, March 2007 Library Media Connection, starred review

Selling point: 500+ bibliographic and topical articles Selling point: Alphabetical arrangement for easy reference Selling point: 200 illustrations Selling point: All articles signed by noted scholars and critics Selling point: Annotated bibliographies after every article Selling point: Cross-references Selling point: Comprehensive index Selling point: Chronology of British literature

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief David Scott Kastan, Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities and Chair of the Department of English and Comparative Literature,Columbia University Senior Editors Nancy Armstrong, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of English and Comparative Literature,Brown University Kevin J. H. Dettmar, Department of English,Southern Illinois University Andrew D. Hadfield, Department of English,University of Sussex Gail McMurray Gibson, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and Humanities,Davidson College Jennifer Wicke, Department of English,University of Virginia

Selling point: 500+ bibliographic and topical articles Selling point: Alphabetical arrangement for easy reference Selling point: 200 illustrations Selling point: All articles signed by noted scholars and critics Selling point: Annotated bibliographies after every article Selling point: Cross-references Selling point: Comprehensive index Selling point: Chronology of British literature