Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Reference Sources in the Humanities) - Hardcover

Burgess, Michael; Bartle, Lisa R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563085488 ISBN 13: 9781563085482

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2002

Synopsis

This revision of Burgess's critically acclaimed guide to reference works in the fascinating genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror thoroughly maps the territory of reference works, covering all major (and some minor) information sources published in the field starting in the 1950s and well into 2001. Annotations are lengthy, detailed, and evaluative, often comparing works to other similar titles. Approximately 160 of the 700 annotations are new to this edition; 50-100 others have been extensively revised. Fan publications, serials, periodicals with reference value and nongenre materials of interest to science fiction researchers are reviewed in addition to such standard tools as bibliographies, encyclopedias, dictionaries, directories, and indexes. Major online resources and printed guides to the Internet have been added on a selective basis. The book also features core collection lists for academic, public, and personal research libraries. Aimed at librarians in academic and large public libraries.

About this title

About the Author

MICHAEL BURGESS is Head of Technical Services & Collection Development, John M. Pfau Library, California State University, San Bernardino.

LISA R. BARTLE is Reference Librarian at Pfau Library, California State University, San Bernardino.

Reviews

Designed to "provide the librarian, researcher, and fan with a path through the labyrinthine maze of amateur and professional reference materials in the related fields of science fiction, fantasy, and horror," this volume updates one published in 1992. The book is divided into 32 sections (up from 29 in the first edition), including "Encyclopedias and Dictionaries," "Magazine and Anthology Indexes," "Subject Bibliographies," "Character Dictionaries and Author Cyclopedias," and "Film and Television Catalogs." Each section begins with a scope note explaining what is included and why. Complete bibliographic citations are followed by literate and readable annotations that vary from a brief note to three or four lengthy paragraphs. The annotations consist of description and succinct analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each item. As the authors point out in their introduction, 150 of the 705 entries are new to this edition, and many more have been revised.

One of the new sections, "Major On-Line Resources," is a particularly valuable examination of 20 Web sites, ranging from Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database ("Five stars for this extraordinarily useful site") to the Ultimate Science Fiction Web Site ("This hodge-podge site has clearly grown way beyond the control of its manager"). The final section, "Core Collections," lists titles that would be appropriate for the reference collections of academic, public, and personal libraries. The ambitious institutional collections are subdivided by size and type of library--for example, there are different lists for large city systems, medium-sized county and city libraries, and small public and county libraries (which would work for high-school libraries, too). Separate author, title, and subject indexes complete the work.

RBB called the first edition of Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror "one of the best and most complete works to be published on the three popular genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror," and this is no less true of the second. Because the three genres that are covered have only increased in popularity, most public and academic libraries will want this title on their shelves. Libraries that bought the first edition will certainly want to update. REVWR
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Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563085488
• ISBN 13: 9781563085482
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 598