The Somerville Public Library has a substantial collection of literary reference materials.

Whether you need to learn the facts of an author’s life, read about the historical background of a work, or look up criticism, we can help you get started in your research.

The main call number for literature and criticism is 800. American literature reference works have call numbers beginning with 81-; English literature, 82-.

Below are some of the literary reference works available at SPL.

Basic reference works on authors, titles and movements:

The Oxford Companion to American Literature  REF/810.9/HA
The Oxford Companion to English Literature REF/820.3/OX
The Bloomsbury Guide to Women’s Literature REF/809.89287/BL

Foreign Literatures

A Concise Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature REF/860.3/SM
The Oxford Companion to German Literature REF/830.8/GA
African Writers REF/896/AF
Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature REF/895.1/MA

Indices to Criticism

Shakespearean Criticism (7 Vols.)  REF 822.33/Sh
Contemporary Literary Criticism (57 Vols.) REF/809.04/Ga

Critical Theory, Literary Movements, and Technical Terms:

A Handbook to Literature REF/803/HA
The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics REF/808.8/NE
Twentieth Century Literary Movements REF/809.91/HE

All the Dead White Males You Could Ever Want:

Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome REF/880.09/An
The Riverside Shakespeare REF/822.33/Sh
The Riverside Chaucer REF/821.1/BE

Genre Fiction: It’s Not Just Belles-Lettres Anymore:

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy REF 809.3/EN
The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing REF 809.3872
Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: 1975-1991 REF 823.0876

Useful Internet Resources: Language and Literature

This page provides links to a number of sites of literary interest, including web sites devoted to Native American authors, on-line reference works, and the home page of the American Academy of Poets.

On-line texts and Concordances (Warning: make sure you have a fair amount of bandwidth and time)

Bartleby
General references and classic works of all genres (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama) available free on-line.

Project Gutenberg
From Beowulf to The Bhagavadgita , from Louisa May Alcott to Edgar Rice Burroughs-- if it’s in the public domain, it is here (or it will be).

Literary Resources at the Boston Public Library
The Humanities Research Department of the BPL provides free access to literary journals, indices, databases, and literary reference works. Electronic resources available at BPL include:

• Women Writers On-line
• SPIRS MLA International Bibliography
• English Short Title Catalogue

The BPL Rare Books department  has first editions of the works of Robert and  Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the first four Shakespeare folios, and works written and printed by Benjamin Franklin