Literary Research and the British Eighteenth Century: Strategies and Sources

by Peggy Keeran, Jennifer Bowers

Overview

The 18th century in Britain was a transition period for literature. Patronage, either by a benefactor or through subscription, lingered even as the publishing and bookselling industries developed. The practice of reviewing books became well established during the second half of the century, with the first periodical founded in 1749. For the literary scholar, these gradual changes mean that different search strategies are required to conduct research into primary and secondary source material across the era.

Literary Research and the British Eighteenth Century addresses these unique challenges. It examines how the following all contribute to the richness of literary research for this era: book and periodical publishing; a growing literate society; dissemination of literature through salons, private societies, and coffee houses; the growing importance of book reviews; the explosion of publishing; and the burgeoning of primary source material available through new publishing and digital initiatives in the 21st century.

This volume explores primary and secondary resources, including general literary research guides; union library catalogs; print and online bibliographies; scholarly journals; manuscripts and archives; 18th-century books, newspapers, and periodicals; contemporary reception; and electronic texts and journals, as well as Web resources. Each chapter addresses the research methods and tools best used to extract relevant information and compares and evaluates sources, making this book an invaluable guide to any literary scholar and student of the British eighteenth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810887954
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/21/2013
Series:	Literary Research: Strategies and Sources , #12
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Peggy Keeran is professor and the Arts and Humanities Reference Librarian at the University of Denver Penrose Library.

Jennifer Bowers is assistant professor and the Social Sciences Reference Librarian at the University of Denver Penrose Library.

The authors are co-editors of the series Literary Research: Strategies and Sources and the authors of Literary Research and the British Romantic Era: Strategies and Sources (Scarecrow, 2005) and Literary Research and the British Renaissance and Early Modern Period: Strategies and Sources (Scarecrow, 2010).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

1 The Basics of Online Searching 1

2 General Literary Reference Sources 19

3 Library Catalogs 53

4 Print and Electronic Bibliographies, Indexes, and Annual Reviews 81

5 Scholarly Journals 113

6 Eighteenth-Century Books, Periodicals, and Newspapers 135

7 Contemporary Reviews 163

8 Archives and Manuscripts Collections 181

9 Web Resources 207

10 Researching a Thorny Problem 255

Appendix 267

Bibliography 291

Index 295

About the Authors 313

Editorial Reviews

Anyone doing research in the literature of England, Scotland, Ireland, or Wales from 1500 to 1700 should make sure that this falls open at the beginning of a project. Ms. Bowers and Ms. Keeran have surveyed research sources, starting with a commonsensical approach to online investigating as well as the standard library catalogues, print and electronic bibliographies, scholarly journals, web resources, and so much more. With wit, clarity, and style, they guide the reader, novice or pro, through the best print, microform, and web materials for the two centuries roughly covered by the terms renaissance and early modern.

If you get this book, read it straight through, and then consult it often. If the forthcoming volume in this series on British Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century by the same authors comes even close to the quality of this volume, scholars in our field will be doubly well served.

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