Contains analyses of characters that appear in novels, plays, epics, and other classics of world literature, providing lengthy descriptions of central characters, and less extensive discussions of supporting players; arranged alphabetically by title; and includes title, author, and character name indexes.

This comprehensive edition combines the characters profiled in the first three editions of Cyclopedia of Literary Characters (1963, 1990, 1998) along with brand new coverage of characters that appeared in works of fiction published between 2000 and 2012. This series offers readers the opportunity to become familiar with both famous and less well-known personalities from classic fiction. These character descriptions can be used alone to begin researching character development and motivation in a novel. They also can be used as a starting place for analysing an epic play or novel and its author's writing style and technique. Articles are arranged alphabetically by book title and begin with ready-reference top matter information about the author and the book, including each book's title, foreign title if originally published in a language other than English, author's name with birth and death years, date of first publication, genre, locale, time of action, and plot type. The characters are arranged by order of importance within each article. The central or key characters receive lengthy descriptions; supporting and minor figures receive less extensive treatment. Books by a given author that commonly are studied together are treated in a single article, allowing the user to study character development across the books. Heavily cross-referenced indexes allow easy access to all title covered. Pronunciation guides are provided for character names that are most likely to be mispronounced. Three indexes are found at the back of volume 5, and are designed to help the user more readily access the text. First, there is a complete list of titles, including cross-references. Second, an Author Index lists titles by author; again cross-references are included. Finally, the alphabetical Character Index lists the more than 29,000 characters described, using last names if those appear in the original works, or using first names or descriptions. The Character Index is a valuable aid in locating the author and work or works with which a particular character is associated. - Amazon

Contains analyses of characters that appear in novels, plays, epics, and other classics of world literature, providing lengthy descriptions of central characters, and less extensive discussions of supporting players; and arranged alphabetically by title.

"This 'edition combines the characters profiled in Cyclopedias of Literary Characters (1963) and Literary Characters II (1990). It also includes all characters that appeared in more recent works of Masterplots II published through 1995.' Publisher's Note. 'Entries are arranged alphabetically by the title of the work ... [They] begin with the book's title, foreign title if originally published in a language other than English, author's name with birth and death years, date of first publication, genre, locale, time of action, and plot type. Characters are arranged in order of importance; major characters have 100- to 150-word write-ups. Volume 5 contains three indexes: title, author, and character.'" Booklist.

In the second edition of the definitive account of Igor Stravinsky's life and work, arranged in two separate sections, Eric Walter White revised the whole book, completing the biographical section by taking it up to Stravinsky's death in 1971. To the list of works, the author added some early pieces that have recently come to light, as well as the late compositions, including the Requiem Canticles and The Owl and the Pussycat. Four more of Stravinsky's own writings appear in the Appendices, and there are several important additions to the bibliography.

Which authors were contemporaries of Charles Dickens? Which books, plays, and poems were published during World War II? Who won the Pulitzer Prize in the year you were born? Timetables of World Literature is a chronicle of literature from ancient times through the 20th century. It answers the question "Who wrote what when?" and allows readers to place authors and their works in the context of their times. A chronology of the best in global writing, this valuable resource lists more than 12,000 titles and 9,800 authors, includes all genres of literature from more than 58 countries, and covers 41 languages. It is divided into seven sections, spanning the Classical Age (to 100 CE), the Middle Ages (100–1500 CE), and the 16th through the 20th centuries. Comprehensive in scope, Timetables of World Literature provides students, researchers, and browsers with basic facts and a worldwide perspective on literature through time. Four extensive indexes by author, title, language/nationality, and genre make research quick and easy. Features include: Birth and death dates as well as nationalities of authors and other literary figures Winners of major literary prizes and awards, such as the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prizes, for each year Brief discussions of literary developments in each period or century, and the relationship of literature to the social and political climate Timelines of key historical events in each century.

Perpetual Motion is the story of John Bell's life, from his birth as a "war-baby" in 1945 Britain, to his early years as a mathematics lecturer at the London School of Economics during the 1970s. It is unusual in being both the autobiography of a mathematical logician (now turned philosopher) and of a youth who spent most of his time very much on the move. His father's employment took his family to New York, Rome, The Hague, San Francisco, Bangkok, Tripoli, and Quito. It also includes a description of John's years at British boarding school, Cambridge, and Oxford and an account of his involvement in the turbulent political events of the late 1960s and early 70s.