Herman Melville A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work (The Literary A to Z Series)

An encyclopedic guide to the novelist includes entries on Melville's works and characters, influential events and social issues, friends and family, and journeys.

Gr 9 Up-Filled with solid information, this resource will be useful to novice Melvillians trying to recall who delivered Tashtego from the whale's head, as well as to scholars who need a quick note on the poem "The Ravaged Villa." The entries, which include information on Melville's private and writing life, run from a 15-word note placing an obscure character in a particular work to an 11-page, chapter-by-chapter synopsis of Moby-Dick. The volume also contains a genealogy, a categorical appendix (people, characters, ships, places, etc.), a lengthy bibliography, and an 18-page index. It is illustrated with black-and-white photos and reproductions. As an alternative to Robert Gale's A Herman Melville Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 1995), which is bigger in every way, this relatively slender volume will meet the needs of most school libraries. Academic collections may wish to own both.

Herman Sutter, Saint Agnes Academy, Houston, TX

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