''Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia'' is a reference work devoted to world literature. The first volume appeared in 1948, edited by
Pulitzer Prize-winner
William Rose Benét
William Rose Benét (February 2, 1886 – May 4, 1950) was an American poet, writer, and editor. He was the older brother of Stephen Vincent Benét.
Early life and education
He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Col. James Walker Benét a ...
, older brother of the writer
Stephen Vincent Benét
Stephen Vincent Benét (; July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is best known for his book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, '' John Brown's Body'' (1928), for which he receiv ...
. Benét set out to "present to
he readera well-organized supplementary memory, in one volume".
The encyclopedia was based on
Ebenezer Cobham Brewer's classic ''
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', and offered a compendium of curious information (such as "
Aani. In Egyptian mythology, the dog-headed ape sacred to the god
Thoth
Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or ...
"). The second edition appeared in 1965, with the addition of new entries, the expansion of old entries, and the addition of illustrations.
More widely available is the third edition, edited by Katherine Baker Siepmann and published in 1987. While this edition no longer mentions such arcane figures as Aani, it offers substantial background on a wide variety of literary figures and increased the international scope of the volume.
Jeppe Aakjaer, for instance, appears as a novelist who "was intensely concerned with social misery and the need for reform," though he is "best known" for his "lyric poetry, in which he celebrates the courage of the peasants and the beauties of his native
Jutland
Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...
."
In 1996, the fourth edition of this reference work appeared. The fifth and to date most recent edition was released in December 2008.
See also
*''
Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature''
References
External links
''The Reader's Encyclopedia'' 2nd editionat
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
1948 non-fiction books
Encyclopedias of literature
20th-century encyclopedias
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