Dominant’s Encyclopaedia Dictionary of Biographies and Bibliographies in English Literature (In 2 Volumes)

The primary aim of this book is to give as much information about English authors, including American and Colonial writers, as the prescribed limits will admit. At the same time an attempt has been made, where materials exist for it, to enhance the interest by introducing such details as tend to illustrate the characters and circumstances of the respective writers and the manner in which they passed through the world; and in the case of the more important, to give some indication of the relative place which they hold and relative place which they hold and the leading features of their work. The work contains upwards of 1600 names all of whom students will find extremely useful as a collateral material to refer in their attempt to study and understand the English Literature. The word “literature” is here used in a very wide sense, and this gives rise to considerable difficulty in drawing the line of exclusion. There are many writers whose claim to admission may reasonably be considered as good as that of some who have been included but given the limitations of the publication a line had to be drawn somewhere, and the editor has used his best judgement in making that line as consistent as possible. Wherever practicable various authorities have been collated, and pains have been taken to secure accuracy; but where so large a collection of facts and dates is involved, it would be too sanguine to expect that success has invariably been attained. The publication also carries useful collateral information in appendices in form of Glossaries on Literary forms and devices and also terms related to English Literature.