Over 3,200 entries An essential guide to authors and their works that focuses on the general canon of British literature from the fifteenth century to the present. There is also some coverage of non-fiction such as biographies, memoirs, and science, as well as inclusion of major American and Commonwealth writers. This online-exclusive new edition adds 60,000 new words, including over 50 new entries dealing with authors who have risen to prominence in the last five years, as well as fully updating the entries that currently exist. Each entry provides details of a writer's nationality and birth/death dates, followed by a listing of their titles arranged chronologically by date of publication.

Focuses on the general canon of British literature from the fifteenth-century to the present. There is also some coverage of non-fiction such as biographies, memoirs, and science, as well as inclusion of major American and Commonwealth writers.

At a recent literary conference hosted by Villa Gillet and "Le Monde," organizers asked seventy-seven prominent authors from around the world to choose a word that opens the door to their work. Their crystalline musings, collected here for the first time, offer an extraordinary portrait of writing and reading from the perspective of the artist. Organized alphabetically, the anthology is a pleasurable and instructive book for writers, readers, and anyone seeking an intimate understanding of literature. Through these personal "passwords," authors articulate the function of language, character, plot, and structure, and, in the process, reveal their relationship with the elements of story. Jonathan Lethem discusses the independent life of furniture; A. S. Byatt describes the power of the narrative web; Etgar Keret explains the importance of "balagan," a Hebrew word meaning "total chaos"; Daniel Mendelsohn expounds on the unknowable, or what the author should or should not impart to the reader; Annie Proulx clarifies "terroir," which embodies the complexities of time, place, geography, weather, and climate; and Colum McCann details the benefits of anonymity. Other participants include Rick Moody on adumbrated; Upamanyu Chatterjee on the bildungsroman; Enrique Vila-Matas on discipline; Adam Thirwell on hedonism; Nuruddin Farah on identities; Tariq Ali on laughter; Andre Brink on the heretic; Elif Shafak on the nomad; and PA(c)ter Esterhazy on the power and potential of words, words, words.

A Spelling Dictionary is a resource and reference tool for independent writers that provides indispensable resources for beginning writers, and builds research and writing skills.

From one of the world’s most beloved and bestselling authors, a terrifically useful and readable guide to the problems of the English language most commonly encountered by editors and writers. What is the singular form of graffiti? From what mythological figure is the word “tantalize” derived? One of the English language’s most skilled writers guides us all toward precise, mistake-free usage. Covering spelling, capitalization, plurals, hyphens, abbreviations, and foreign names and phrases, Bryson’s Dictionary for Writers and Editors will be an indispensable companion for all who care enough about our language not to maul, misuse, or contort it. As Bill Bryson notes, “English is a dazzlingly idiosyncratic tongue, full of quirks and irregularities that often seem willfully at odds with logic and common sense.” This dictionary is an essential guide to the wonderfully disordered thing that is the English language.

Explore the fascinating lives and loves of the greatest novelists, poets, and playwrights. From William Shakespeare and Jane Austen to Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison, Writers explores more than 100 biographies of the world’s greatest writers. Each featured novelist, playwright, or poet is introduced by a stunning portrait, followed by photography and illustrations of locations and artifacts important in their lives – along with pages from original manuscripts, first editions, and their correspondence. Trace the friendships, loves, and rivalries that inspired each individual and affected their writing, revealing insights into the larger-than-life characters, plots, and evocative settings that they created. You will also uncover details each writer’s most famous pieces and understand the times and cultures they lived in – see how the world influenced them and how their works influenced the world. Writers introduces key ideas, themes, and literary techniques of each figure, revealing the imaginations and personalities behind some of the world's greatest novels, short stories, poems, and plays. A diverse variety of authors are covered, from the Middle Ages to present day, providing a compelling glimpse into the lives of the people behind the page.