handbooks, manuals, etc

Contains analytical and interpretive commentary on the plays and major characters of American playwright Edward Albee, and includes a chronology of his life, discussion of Albee's view of playwriting, suggestions for further study, and a bibliography.

Presents biographical information on nineteenth-century Russian writer Anton Chekhov and profiles five of his best-known short stories, providing plot summaries and excerpts of criticism; also includes primary and secondary bibliographies.

An unofficial guide to Hogwarts, covering headmasters, professors, and notable staff; secret passages throughout the castle; what student life is like; the shops and sights of Hogsmeade; and more.

Presents a comprehensive guide to the mystery novels by former jockey Dick Francis and includes plot summaries and character analyses, and an exclusive interview with the author.

Presents a concordance to the novels, series, and movies of Tom Clancy; an interview with Clancy; twelve essays by the best-selling author; and an overview of his career, including novel and series profiles.

An introduction to the reading and study of the writings of American poet Walt Whitman, discussing how critical attitudes toward Whitman's works changed in the decades between the 1940s and 1960s, and summarizing and commenting upon attempts to interpret his poems in the contexts of Vedanticism, existentialism, and psychoanalysis.

An introduction to the life and work of twentieth-century playwright Arthur Miller that traces the development of his work and their impact on American literature and offers in-depth analysis of some of his more popular plays.

A literary companion to the works of African-American playwright August Wilson that provides information on characters, dates, events, allusions, staging strategies, and themes from his plays.

Presents a biographical sketch of nineteenth-century American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, and features a series of essays that examine his works within specific contexts that show how Hawthorne's writing reflected his concerns with issues such as women's rights, the status of children, and mesmerism.

A companion guide to Soman Chainani's "The School for Good and Evil" series.