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Overview
Although the fantastic impulse has been embodied in folklore, literature, art, and film, distinguished work has always been uncommon. This guide directs readers and viewers to the best, better, or historically important works of the fantastic imagination, as well as to the scholarship that helps us understand their nature and appeal. Arranged chronologically, narrative introductions provide historical and analytical perspectives on the period or subjects covered while annotated bibliographies describe and evaluate the books and other materials judged most significant for literary, extraliterary, or historical reasons. More than 2,300 works of fiction and poetry are discussed, each cross-referenced to other works with similar or contrasting themes. Winners and nominees for major awards are identified. Books that are part of a series are flagged, with a complete list of books in series included in a final chapter, along with a comprehensive list of awards, of translations, and of young adult and children's books. A chapter on teaching fantasy and horror literature provides aid for teachers of every experience level, from high school through college. Fantastic illustration, films, TV and radio, and Internet sites are all discussed in detail. Comprehensive, up-to-date, carefully organized with multiple indexes, this guide will appeal to anyone with the slightest interest in fantastic literature, film, or illustration.
Winner of The International Horror Guild Awards for Best Nonfiction, 2000
Editorials
Choice
Scholars, librarians, and general readers will appreciate this expansive and critical review of fantasy and horror literature. Highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.Book Report
...manages to succinctly cover a great deal of territory, and neither area feels compromised. What makes this book particularly helpful is that it covers film, television, radio, magazines, and the Internet. This is important, because the fantasy and horror genres have been pervasive in the popular culture represented by these media.Booklist
Barron's book is excellent for supporting horror literature studies and reader's advisory.Sfra Review
I would recommend that anyone with a serious interest in fantasy and horror purchase this work. To quote [the Introduction], Fantasy and Horror 'is part of a progressive attempt by the fantasy field to see itself whole, to excavate archaeological layers: to see the invisible world of the past, and the buried and hidden foundations of the present.' Fantasy and Horror succeeds remarkably well in this noble endeavor.Silive.com
For quick information on any aspect of fantasy and horror fiction, this superlative source will serve well.Ab Bookman's Weekly
...well organized work with extensive coverage of literature in translation...should prove a welcome addition to the standard references in the field.Interzone
...wonderful tome...highly recommended.Locus
Not only passes the test of a useful and usable reference work, but also is a great book for wallowing, browsing, disagreeing with, and getting ideas.Fantasy Commentator
...readerfriendly throughout... recommend it for personal as well as library purchase.Arthuriana
...a model reference book: it is clearly written, exhaustively detailed, user friendly, and thoroughly indexed.Religious Studies Review
Readers interested in horror and fantasy traditions should find this to be an invaluable resource.Foundation
...a fine starting point for research into the Fantastic. Of particular value are evaluative listings of author studies and an extensive section on fantasy and horror art and illustration....anyone in need of a research topic in the fantastic will find much-needed help here.Science Fiction Studies
...in-depth overviews of these two fantastic genres...a very useful volume...deeply erudite, shrewdly judgmental, and altogether excellent...one would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else such generous surveys of contemporary fantasy and horror literature...Fantasy and Horror belongs on every scholar's reference shelf...Gothic Net
I can't express how ambitious and comprehensive this text is, or how useful, or how overwhelmingly cool.— Mehitobel Wilson
Lawrence Looks At Books
The annotated bibliographies following the overview essays provide summaries and evaluations of the significance of over 2,300 'primary sources,' novels, short stories and poetry by more than 950 authors. Another nine contributed chapters evaluate over 700 secondary sources, research tools, teaching resources and research opportunities in libraries and sub-genres such as film, television, art and comic books. Asterisks used in every section to mark best books are intended as aids to researchers as well as librarians building collections. A final chapter listing awards, best books, series and translations provides additional guidance. Author, subject, title and theme indexes round out an excellent guide.AB Bookman's Weekly
...well organized work with extensive coverage of literature in translation...should prove a welcome addition to the standard references in the field.Gothic Net -
I can't express how ambitious and comprehensive this text is, or how useful, or how overwhelmingly cool.VOYA
This comprehensive guide to works of fantasy and horror, whether print, media, or online, is an extensive revision combining two separate volumes, Horror Literature and Fantasy Literature (both Garland, 1990). The scope of this compendium is wider, rendering it necessarily more selective within each of the eight chronologicallyarranged primary areas. Approximately 2,300 English language works of fiction and poetry are treated in the first eight chapters, with a like number of secondary works in the following eight. Thirteen contributors, most with university affiliations, and seven outside readers have selected and reviewed the works represented. Each section begins with historical and analytical perspective. The annotated bibliographies are numbered for crossreferencing and indexing. Entries contain standard bibliographic data, a summary of the work, awards received, crossreferences indicating books with similar themes, a young adult indicator, and a notation for best books. In the second section, chapters on author studies, best books, history and criticism, magazines, animation, art, illustration, and significant library collections (with Internet addresses) give this volume a scope corresponding to its hefty size. The author/subject, title, and theme indexes are beautifully constructed and provide ease of access. A table listing sources of information on fiction and poetry authors refers those doing indepth research to fourteen other standard works. Descriptions of awards, lists of award winners, and a comprehensive series listing are added pluses. The essays and summaries in the annotations are well written, but at a high reading level, best suiting this source for high schoolandcollege or university collections. However for quick information on any aspect of fantasy and horror fiction, this superlative source will serve well. Index. Charts. Biblio. Further Reading. Appendix. 1999, Scarecrow, Ages 14 to Adult, 832p. PLB $85. Reviewer: Ann WeltonLibrary Journal
Using the same general format as his groundbreaking guide to science fiction, Anatomy of Wonder (Bowerk, 1995. 4th ed.), Barron and his colleagues guide the reader through the best primary and secondary literature in the two broad categories of fantasy and horror, written from 1762 to 1998. They provide extensive annotations and brief (one-paragraph) essays on each subtopic or item. In this enormous enterprise, Barron covers fiction, poetry, authors, media, the web, organizations, etc. Since the individual authors intermix fantasy and horror materials, the reader interested in only one genre is forced to scan through numerous citations in both genres to find relevant items. Separating the two within each chapter, whenever possible, would have made for easier access. Though this easily replaces all earlier broad genre guides, some genre separatists might be uncomfortable with the liberal intermix of fantasy, sf, Gothic, and horror. In fact, this remains two excellent reference books not quite comfortably rolled into one. Nonetheless, it is recommended for all public and academic collections.--Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Houston Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.School Library Journal
Two previously separate volumes-Horror Literature and Fantasy Literature (both Garland, 1990)-are extensively revised and combined here. A companion to Barron's Anatomy of Wonder (Bowker, 1995), this selective guide includes articles on horror and fantasy poetry, reference and online resources, author studies, comics, teaching fantasy and horror literature, magazines, and more. All this is in addition to the lengthy annotations of the selected titles that are divided into chronological categories (e.g., "Fantasy in the Nineteenth Century, 1812-1899"; "Early Modern Horror Fiction, 1897-1949"; "From Baum to Tolkien, 1900-1956"; etc.). Few would quibble with the more than 2300 critically selected works that run the gamut from Stephen King to "Winnie the Pooh." The introductions to each section are analytical and knowledgeable, and the thorough indexes of authors, titles, and themes are invaluable. One tiny editing complaint-numerous pages in the "Contemporary Fantasy, 1957-1998" chapter are incorrectly headed "1957-1988."-Bette Ammon, Missoula Public Library, MT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|Booknews
This guide is an extensive revision of two separate guides, and both published by Garland in 1990 and now out of print. The present reference contains annotated listings of about 3,000 works of fiction by some 950 authors, plus about 800 works of related non-fiction. Each work is described in terms of plot, characters, and themes; and cross- referencing gives access to other works by the authors. Access to the listings for a variety of purposes is afforded with thorough indexing and listings of books suitable for young adults, books in series, and "best books" in various categories. Introductory essays survey specific traditions and time periods. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Book Details
Published
June 17, 1999
Publisher
Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2000, c1999.
Pages
832
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780810835962