Comprising over four hundred entries, this is a concise glossary of American literature, covering key works and writers, historical events, literary terms and movements from Colonial times to the present. Each entry is succinct and because of the suggestions for further reading the glossary can be used both to check facts and to start further research. It is an essential reference companion for anyone with an interest in American literature. It will also prove essential to anyone interested in related areas such as American history and American Studies who needs a reliable and concise guide to literature. The book's Index of Works and Writers makes it doubly useful as a reference work, allowing the reader to find information quickly on hundreds of works and writers not listed in individual entries.