Poems:

A Research Guide

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Contents:

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry
LOCATION: Library Databases

Use the Columbia Granger's World of Poetry database to find poems by author, words in the first line or title, and subject. For many poems, the database provides the entire poem as well as the bibliographic citation. The record of the poem is labeled as "Excerpt" if only selected lines are given. The database offers a glossary of terms, as well as brief biographical information about major poets.

Granger's Index to Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1021 .G7)

Granger's Index to Poetry provides a list of poems and the anthologies that contain these poems. A number of editions have been published over the years. They are not cumulative, although there is some duplication of titles. If the title or first line of the poem is not known, the author or subject index may be used to identify this information. The title/first line index must then be used to find the sources for the poems. An alphabetical code is supplied for each anthology. The key to these codes is given at the front of the book.

Specialized Indexes

African-American Poetry, 1760-1900. Alexandria, Va.: Chadwyck-Healey.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Microforms (CD-ROM 573)

The Database of African-American Poetry offers the works of 54 African-American poets writing in the 18th and 19th centuries. The bibliographic source for the database is Afro-American Poetry and Drama 1760-1975 by William P. French.

Chapman, Dorothy H. Index to Black Poetry. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1974.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS153 .N5 C45)

Indexes works of black poets and poets of any race who have dealt with the black experience or written within the black tradition.

Guy, Patricia H. Women's Poetry Index. Phoenix, AZ.: Oryx Press, 1985.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1024 .G89 1985)

Women's Poetry Index is an index to over fifty anthologies of women's poetry published in the 1970's and early 1980's. The bibliographical information is listed under the poet's name. If the name is not known, this information may be found by consulting the first-line index or the title index.

Hoffman, Herbert H. Hoffman's Index to Poetry: European and Latin American Poetry in Anthologies. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1985.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1022 .H627 1985)

This index serves as a non-English language complement to Granger's Index to Poetry. It is a finding guide to poems written in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Provencal, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Ukranian in anthologies produced for distribution in English-speaking countries. The index indicates which anthologies contain the poem in the original language and which publish it in an English translation. Bibliographical information is listed under the poet's name. If the name is not known, this information may be found by consulting the first-line index or the title index.

Index to Poetry for Children and Young People. (Former title: Index to Children's Poetry.) New York: H.W. Wilson.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1023 .B7 and Ref PN1023 .B723)

Index to poetry for children published in anthologies ranging from the late 1800's through the 1980's. Indexing for collections of poems for young adults was added for anthologies published from the 1970's through the 1980's.

Expanded Academic ASAP Plus
LOCATION: Library Databases

The Expanded Academic ASAP Plus database offers indexing for and the full-text of poems published in such periodicals as Poetry, The Southern Review, Quadrant, The Amicus Journal, The Antioch Review, and Ploughshares. Search by keyword, author's name, or the title of the periodical.

Index of American Periodical Verse. Metuchen, N. J.: Scarecrow, 1971-.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1231 .P7 I47)

The Index to American Periodical Verse indexes poems published in periodicals from 1971 to the present. Publication is slow, so the latest volumes are not current.

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature / Readers' Guide Retrospective  . New York: H.W. Wilson, 1900/04-.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref AI3 .R48) Index Table
LOCATION: Library Databases

The Readers' Guide may be used to identify periodical sources for poems. The bibliographical information is listed under the poet's name. If the poet's name is not known, this information may be found by checking the list under "Poems". The online version, called Readers' Guide Retrospective, covers the period 1890-1982.

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry
LOCATION: Library Databases

For many poems, the database provides the entire poem as well as the bibliographic citation. The record of the poem is labeled as "Excerpt" if only selected lines are given.

Literature Online (LION). Alexandria, Va.: Chadwyck-Healey.
LOCATION: Library Databases

Literature Online offers hundreds of thousands of fully-searchable texts, including those from the English Poetry and American Poetry databases.

The MLA International Bibliography. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1960-. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PB6B .M63) Index Table
LOCATION: Library Databases (1963 to present)

The MLA Bibliography indexes critical materials on literature, language, linguistics and folklore.

Alexander, Harriet S. American and British Poetry: A Guide to the Criticism 1925-1978. Athens, Ohio: Swallow Press, 1984.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS303 .A438 1984)

Indexed by author name, then subdivided by title of poem, this book provides a listing of critical interpretations of poems in books and journals published between 1925-1978. Full bibliographical information on each source is given at the back of the book.

Cline, Gloria S. and Jeffrey A. Baker. An Index to Criticisms of British and American Poetry. Metuchen, N. J.: Scarecrow, 1973.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR89 .C5)

This work indexes books and periodicals (pre-1973) containing criticisms of British and American poetry. The sources are indexed by author name and subdivided by title of poem. A title index of poems is provided at the back of the book, leading the user to a page number in the author index. Full bibliographic information on each source is given in the bibliography on pages 267-269.

Coleman, Arthur. Epic and Romance Criticism: A Checklist of Interpretations 1940-1973 of Classical and Continental Epics and Metrical Romances. 2 vols. New York: Watermills Publishers, 1973.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1303B .C65)

These two volumes list sources of criticism under the title of the poem. A table of contents provides access by author's name. An abbreviation key is given at the front of each volume.

Kuntz, Joseph M. and Nancy C. Martinez. Poetry Explication: A Checklist of Interpretation Since 1925 of British and American Poems Past and Present. 3d ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1980.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR502B .K85 1980)

Indexed by author name, then subdivided by title of poem, the checklist provides a listing of critical interpretations of poems in books and journals. Full bibliographical information on each source is given at the back of the book.

Ruppert, James. Colonial and Nineteenth-Century. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1989.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS201 .R87x)

First volume of the series Guide to American Poetry Explication.

Reardon, Joan and Kristine A. Thorsen. Poetry by American Women 1900-1975: A Bibliography. Metuchen, N. J.: Scarecrow, 1979.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS151B .R42)

Reardon, Joan and Kristine A. Thorsen. Poetry by American Women 1975-1989: A Bibliography. Metuchen: N. J.: Scarecrow, 1990.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS151 .R42x 1990)

The two bibliographies list volumes of poetry by American women. The entries are arranged alphabetically by the last names of the authors.

Use DELCAT to identify books about individual poets. Type the poet's last name first name as a "Browse, Subject begins with..." and press enter. Books about the poet's life are often listed under the subheading, "--BIOGRAPHY", while books discussing the poet's works and style of writing are listed under "--CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION". To identify works written by a poet, type the poet's last name first name as a "Browse, Author begins with..." search. Ask for assistance at the Reference Desk if you are having trouble locating information about a particular poet.

Columbia Granger's World of Poetry
LOCATION: Library Databases

The database provides brief biographies of major poets.

Alfonsi, Ferdinando. Dictionary of Italian-American Poets. New York: P. Lang, 1989.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS153 .I8 A45 1989)

Alfonsi gives information on well-known and little-known Italian-American poets. The amount of information varies from entry to entry.

Bold, Alan. Longman Dictionary of Poets: The Lives and Works of 1001 Poets in the English Language. Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1985.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR502 .B65x 1985)

This guide provides a brief biographical entry for each poet.

Critical Survey of Poetry (Magill's). Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Salem Press.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR502 .C85 1992) (English Language Series)
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PN1021 .C7 1984) (Foreign Language Series)

The "Author Section" comprises the first seven volumes. It is arranged alphabetically by last names. Each entry provides biographical information, a list of principal works and achievements, a critical overview of these works and a bibliography of sources about the author.

Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers. New York: Poets & Writers.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PS129 .D55)

Supplies addresses and telephone numbers.

Jordan, Frank, ed. The English Romantic Poets: A Review of Research and Criticism. 4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association, 1985.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR590 .E5 1985)

This book provides sources of information on English romantic poetry and on individual poets: Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley and Keats.

Literature Resource Center
LOCATION: Library Databases

The Literature Resource Center combines biographical, bibliographical, and contextual information to provide information on authors and their works.

The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry in English. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR601 .O9 1994)

The Oxford Companion lists useful anthologies at the front of the book. It provides a short biographical entry for each poet.

Poets. (Great Writers of the English Language Series). New York: St. Martin's Press, 1979.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR502 .P65 1979)

Poets provides a biography, a list of published books, a selected list of published bibliographies and critical studies, and a signed critical essay for each poet.

Riggs, Thomas, ed. Contemporary Poets. 6th ed. New York: St. James Press, 1996.
LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref PR603 .C6 1996)

Contemporary Poets provides a biography, a list of separately published books, and a signed essay for each poet. In addition, some of the poets have chosen to comment on their own work.

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