Annotated
Bibliography
By: Mack Brazelle
Magill,
Frank N., ed. Critical Survey of Poetry. 8 vols. Englewood Cliffs: Salem
Press, 1982.
Library of Congress call Number: PN1021.C6
This source is an analysis
of hundreds of poets and their major works. Alphabetically listed by last name,
each of the three hundred and forty writers in this eight-volume set are
presented in the same format. The format makes finding information less
difficult. Each article contains the author’s principal poems, details on other
literary forms, and achievements. A short biography follows and the article is
completed with an analysis of the authors work. Researchers will find the
analysis section the most valuable part of this source. The analysis is
insightful and gives the reader a viewpoint that can’t be found in a
biographical source.
Birchfield, D. L., ed. The
Encyclopedia of North American Indians. 11 vol. New York: Marshall
Cavendish, 1997.
Library of Congress call Number: E76.2.E53
This eleven-volume set contains a total of only 1500 pages. The content is brief and lacks detail, however, the layout of the books are impressive. Large color photographs illustrate the text well. Readability and style is constant among the many contributing authors. Published in 1997, the information is newly updated and the most resent issues that affect North American Indians are included. Anyone needing information on North American Indians would find this source useful. Information is easily located in alphabetical order by persons name or subject. Birchfield is a member of the Choctow Nation of Oklahoma, as well as a writer and editor with a degree from the American Indian Program at Cornell University.
Hine,
Darlene C., Elsa Barkley Brown, and Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, eds. Black Women
in America. 2 vols. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1994.
This timely, detailed historical encyclopedia focuses solely on African-American women. This source covers important black women throughout American history. Because minorities are often left out of major encyclopedias, this source helps to detail the events and achievements of black women that may be overlooked. This source would be helpful to anyone researching black history in America or important women in America history. The content is well organized and appropriately illustrated with photographs. It contains six hundred and four biographical topics and four hundred and fifty black and white photographs. The text covers not only important black women but also the effect these women had on America. Hine is a Professor of American History at Michigan State University. Brown teaches African Studies at the University of Michigan. Terborg-Penn is a Professor of History at Moran State University.
Garraty,
John A., and Mark C. Carnes, eds. American National Biography. 24 vols.
New York: oxford, 1999.
This
new, large volume of reference material is best described as a biographical
dictionary. The articles are listed in alphabetical order and written
chronologically. Each article presents a life through significant events as
they took place from birth to death. Published as the successor to the
Dictionary of American Biography, all biographies are updated and relevant. In
this edition, the criteria for inclusion as an American has been broadened to
any person whose significant actions occurred while living in the United State
or anyone that directly influenced American history. One limitation of this
work is that living Americans are not included.
Simmons,
R. C., The American Colonies: From Settlement to Independence. New York:
David McKay, 1976.
Library of Congress call Number: E188.S59
This book is a great source for historical facts and data during the time of colonial America. The timeline covers the first one hundred and sixty-nine years of American history. It is possible that new information has come to light since the publication of this text and therefore researchers my want to use a more recently published book on this topic. Researchers needing information on the years leading up to and during the Revolution will find this book informative, and full of useful facts. The information is presented in a narrative form. Tables are used to illustrate the changes in population throughout the colonies. Data on slave imports, slave populations, immigration, population movement and other vital static information are available in this text.