American diversity, American identity

This collection of essays on 145 American authors whose lives and works define the American experience is arranged to show the diversity of their backgrounds, under such categories as "Native American," "Afro-American," "New England," "Midwest," and "Gay and Lesbian." Each section opens with an overview of that particular literary tradition. Most of the actual author entries are not new but are extracted from the various Magill Survey volumes: "Long Fiction", "Short Fiction", "Drama", and "Poetry". The essay on James Fenimore Cooper, for example, was shortened from 15 to 5 pages. The entries maintain the standard Magill format: birth and death information, principal works, other literary forms, achievements, biography, analysis, and bibliography. The bibliographies have been updated with new citations. An author-title index is included. The authors chosen include those commonly assigned in schools and represent a spectrum of classic and contemporary writers, ranging from Hawthorne to Kingsolver and Cather to Steinbeck The essays are geared toward high-school students, lower-division undergraduates, and the general public. Due to the duplication, libraries owning the Magill sets may want to pass. However, high-school and small public libraries with cost and space constraints working against the purchase of the larger sets will want to acquire this title.

Booknews

A reference that focuses on the writers whose lives and works define the various aspects of American life. The volume is organized into 13 sections, each of which illustrates a particular aspect of American diversity, such as The West, The African-American Experience, Native American Viewpoints, Southern Voices, Urban Voices, and Rumors of War. Within each section, there is an introduction followed by 5 to 20 essays on major writers whose lives and works best represent that particular aspect of the American experience. Each essay provides information on the author, including a biography, literary achievements, bibliography, and an analysis of his or her work. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)