{"product_id":"9781439137215","title":"The New York Public Library Literature Companion","description":"Pick up \u003ci\u003eThe New York Public Library Literature Companion\u003c\/i\u003e to check the dates of Marcel Proust's \u003ci\u003eRemembrance of Things Past\u003c\/i\u003e or to find out how James Joyce's \u003ci\u003eUlysses\u003c\/i\u003e changed U.S. obscenity laws, and you may find yourself hours later absorbed in the imaginary worlds of Camelot and The Matrix or sidetracked by the fascinating history of \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker.\u003c\/i\u003e Designed to satisfy the curious browser as well as the serious researcher, this exciting new resource offers the most up-to-date information on literature available in English from around the world, from the invention of writing to the age of the computer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInterwoven throughout the more than 2,500 succinct and insightful entries on Creators, Works of Literature, and Literary Facts and Resources are the fascinating facts and quirky biographical details that make literature come alive. Readers will discover, for instance, that Walt Whitman was fired from his government job after his personal copy of \u003ci\u003eLeaves of Grass\u003c\/i\u003e was discovered in his desk by the Secretary of the Interior, who was scandalized by it; that James Baldwin remembered listening to blues singer Bessie Smith (\"playing her till I fell asleep\") when he was writing his first book; and that a publisher turned down the serialization rights to \u003ci\u003eGone with the Wind,\u003c\/i\u003e saying, \"Who needs the Civil War now -- who cares?\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLooking for information about book burning or how many Nobel laureates have come from Japan? You'll find it here. Trying to remember the name of that movie based on a favorite book? Read the \"Variations\" section -- you'll be amazed at the pervasive presence of great literature in today's entertainment. From Aristophanes to Allende, from Bergson to Bloom, the biographical entries will inform readers about the men and women who have shaped -- and are shaping -- the literary world. Look into \"Works of Literature\" to discover the significance of \u003ci\u003eBeowulf, The Fountainhead, Doctor Zhivago,\u003c\/i\u003e and nearly 1,000 other titles. Check the \"Dictionary of Literature\" to find out what the critics and theorists are talking about. And if you wish to delve even deeper, \"Websites for Literature\" and \"Literary Factbooks and Handbooks\" are just two of the bibliographies that will point readers in the right direction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnique in scope and design and easy to use, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Public Library Literature Companion\u003c\/i\u003e will be at home on every reader's shelf. Whether you are immersed in Stephen King or \u003ci\u003eKing Lear,\u003c\/i\u003e this book has the insights, facts, and fascinating stories that will enrich your reading forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith four major research centers and 85 branch libraries, \u003cb\u003eThe New York Public Library\u003c\/b\u003e is internationally recognized as one of the greatest institutions of its kind. Founded in 1895, the library now holds more than 50 million items, including several world-renowned collections of literary manuscripts and rare books. Among the books published from the library in recent years are \u003ci\u003eThe New York Public Library Desk Reference\u003c\/i\u003e (1998); \u003ci\u003eThe Hand of the Poet\u003c\/i\u003e (1997); \u003ci\u003eLetters of Transit: Reflections on Exile, Identity, Language, and Loss\u003c\/i\u003e (1999); \u003ci\u003eA Secret Location on the Lower East Side: Adventures in Writing, 1960-1980\u003c\/i\u003e (1998); and \u003ci\u003eUtopia: The Search for the Ideal Society in the Western World\u003c\/i\u003e (2000).","brand":"Free Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47142888571120,"sku":"9781439137215","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781439137215_p0.jpg?v=1763757641","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781439137215","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}