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Encyclopedias & Guides
Specialized subject encyclopedias and dictionaries are excellent sources for overviews and introductions to topics within the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Since the 1970s many of these have been published, some with deeper and more extensive coverage than others. Below is a selective list of reference books available in Olin and Uris libraries. Some may be found in the Olin Reference collection, others are shelved in the Olin/Uris stacks, the Kroch Asia stacks (i.e., the circulating collections) or the Library Annex, as noted.
100 Years of American Newspaper Comics: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Call Number: Olin stacks PN6725 A14 1996Publication Date: New York : Gramercy Books, c1996.Copiously illustrated encyclopedia of the great daily and Sunday newspaper comics and their creators. Presents the evolution and history of the comics and features all of America's favorite strips. 64 pages of color comics and 300 black-and-white strips.- American Comic Strip Collections, 1884-1939: the evolutionary era byCall Number: Olin stacks PN6726 G54x 1990+Publication Date: Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, c1990.
American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide by Call Number: Olin stacks PN6725 H657 2011+Publication Date: Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c2012.Lists over 7,000 different comic strip and cartoon features from American newspapers, providing detailed information on important but previously overlooked artists and features. Includes cross-indexes and a guide to book-length compilations of newspaper cartoons and comics. Also includes a CD with samples of more than 2,000 cartoon features.
The American Superhero by Call Number: Olin Reference PN6707 .H35 2019 +Publication Date: ABC-Clio, 2019This compilation of essential information on 100 superheroes from comic book issues, various print and online references, and scholarly analyses examines how superheroes and superheroines have appeared in comics and other media over the decades and how they have reflected the hopes, fears, and values of American society at any given period.
Cambridge Companion to the Graphic NovelCall Number: Print copy: Olin stacks PN6710 .C34 2017Publication Date: Cambridge UP, 2017Examines the evolution of comic books into graphic novels and the distinct development of this art form both in America and around the world. Also explores the diverse subgenres often associated with it.
Comics Through Time by Call Number: Olin Reference PN6710 C6675 2014 +Publication Date: Greenwood, 2014. 4 vols.A reference source for information on the genres, works, and artists of comic books, comic strips, and graphic novels. Volume 1 covers 1960 and earlier; Volume 2 covers 1960-1980; Volume 3 covers 1980-1995; and Volume 4 covers 1995 to the present. Entries address topics such as comics publishing, characters, imprints, genres, themes, titles, artists, writers, and more. Entries also include coverage of British, Japanese, and European comics that have influenced illustrated storytelling of the United States or are of special interest to American readers.Crawford's Encyclopedia of Comic Books by
Call Number: Library Annex PN6725 C89 +<Publication Date: Middle Village, N.Y. : Jonathan David Publishers, c1978.Covers the history of US comic publishers from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. Includes a chronology of the development of the comic book. Illustrated.- Das grosse Comic-Lexikon : von Asterix und Akira über Donald Duck und Dan Dare bis Superman und Yps. : die Welt der Bildgeschichten, ihre Zeichner & Autoren, Magazine & Figuren byCall Number: Fine Arts Reference PN6707 F45 2001Publication Date: Berlin : Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, c2001.Der Inhalt Das Comic-Lexikon gewährt einen Einblick in die Geschichte der Comicstrips, angefangen bei »Dr. Syntax« von Thomas Rowlandson, dessen Abenteuer zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts in England erschienen, über »Monsieur Jabon« (1833) von Rodolphe Töpfer bis hin zu den »Katzenjammer Kids« (1897) von Rudolph Dirks. Das Buch bietet eine Übersicht der bedeutendsten Comic-Künstler der Gegenwart. Das Comic-Lexikon gibt einen Überblick über die Protagonisten der Comicstrips.
DC Comics Encyclopedia by Call Number: Olin stacks PN6725 D199 2008 ++Publication Date: New York : DK Pub., 2008.Described as a comic-book lover's dream ("Columbus Dispatch"), this revised and expanded encyclopedia offers even more incredible DC detail and imagery than the original. Exquisite new artwork will draw in new readers and delight die-hard fans.DK Publishing- Dictionnaire mondial de la bande dessinée byCall Number: Olin stacks PN6707 G39x 1997Publication Date: 1997A travers ses 2000 articles sont présentés les scénaristes et les dessinateurs, les personnages et les séries, les termes techniques et les éditeurs, les revues spécialisées et d'études du monde entier. De A. Bâbord à Zyx, cet ouvrage couvre des pays comme la France, la Belgique, les Etats-Unis, l'Italie, mais aussi le japon, l'Argentine ou les Philippines. On y trouve, bien entendu, les pionniers du genre et les auteurs classiques, ainsi que les séries les plus récentes et les nouveaux créateurs apparus ces dernières années. Cette nouvelle édition, entièrement revue et actualisée, comporte plus de 250 entrées supplémentaires.
- Encyclopedia of American Comics byCall Number: Olin Reference PN6725 E56Publication Date: 1990Focuses on comic heroes and villains; the creators, artists, and writers of comic strips and comic books; and the publishers and syndicates of the comics industry. More than 1,000 entries, arranged in dictionary form, are illustrated, and cross-referenced.
Encyclopedia of Black Comics by Call Number: Olin Reference PN6707 .H69 2017Publication Date: Fulcrum Publishing, 2017Focuses on people of African descent who have published significant works in the United States or have worked across various aspects of the comics industry, coverint creators in the field of comics: inkers, illustrators, artists, writers, editors, Black comic historians, Black comic convention creators, website creators, archivists and academics--as well as individuals who may not fit into any category but have made notable achievements within and/or across Black comic culture.
Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic NovelsCall Number: Olin Reference PN6707 E49 2010+Publication Date: 2010Explores the genre's history, its landmark creators and creations, and its influence on American life and culture, focusing on English-language comics—plus a small selection of influential Japanese and European works available in English—with emphasis on the graphic novel format that emerged in the 1970s. Entries cover influential comic artists and writers, major genres and themes, and specific characters, comic book imprints, and landmark titles. Key franchises such as Superman and Batman are the center of a constellation of related entries that include graphic novels and other imprints featuring the same characters or material.
Encyclopédie des bandes dessinées by Call Number: Library Annex PN6707 E56 1986+Publication Date: 1986
European Comics in English Translation by Call Number: Olin stacks PN6790 E9 S38x 2002Publication Date: 2002This is a reference work, arranged by artist or writer, to European comics from the last quarter of the twentieth century that have been translated from any European language into English.Manga! Manga!: the world of Japanese comics by
Call Number: Kroch Library Asia PN6790 J3 S55 +Publication Date: 1983Considered a seminal work on the historical, cultural, and aesthetic background of Japanese Manga. Includes 96 pages of manga reproduced in English translation.
Manga Design by Call Number: Kroch Library Asia NC1764.5 J3 A43 2004+Publication Date: 2004-09-25Reference guide to the Manga phenomenon and its superstars - both human and fictional - via 140 A-Z listings.
Marvel Encyclopedia by Call Number: Olin stacks PN6725 M37 2009 ++Publication Date: New York : DK Pub., 2009.This one-volume encyclopedia contains more than 1,000 of Marvel's greatest-from well-known characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk and Wolverine to lesser known heroes and villains. The Marvel Encyclopedia is full of artwork, stats, and history for every character in the Marvel Universe. Updates on characters include information from the story arcs of Civil War and Annihilation, and brings fans up to date with the aftermath of Secret Invasion.- Underground Comix Family Album byCall Number: Olin stacks PN6725 W49x 1998 + (copy also in Kroch RMC)Publication Date: 1998This photographic reference documents artists whose revolutionary work still influences the arts today. Featuring 50 candid photographic portraits from the archives of reporter, Clay Geerdes, as well as artwork and writings, it places faces with such names as R.Crumb, Rober Williams, Gilbert Shelton, Kim Deitch, Trina Robbins, Vaughn Bode, Shary Flenniken, and Bill Griffith.
- World Encyclopedia of Cartoons byCall Number: Olin Reference PN6710 W91 (also at Library Annex)Publication Date: 1980Two-volume set contains more than 1200 alphabetical, cross-referenced entries. It also includes the history of animation, a chronology of cartoon developments, a glossary, a bibliography, and an appendix.
World Encyclopedia of ComicsCall Number: Olin stacks PN6710 W92 1999 ++Publication Date: 1999A 7-volume reference that covers the field of comic art in all of its aspects--artistic, cultural, sociological, and commercial--on a global scale through December 1997. Contains 1,400-plus biographical and bibliographical entries as well as a number of informative articles such as a world history of the comics, a chronology of important events, an analytical summary dealing with language, themes and structures, and an extensive glossary. Illustrated. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
