Waidner--Spahr Library
News & Events
English Pathfinder: Detective Fiction
The following lists are not comprehensive. The items
listed on this page are representative of some of the most frequently
used research materials on this topic. To find more material, consult
the library catalog or contact your librarian for assistance.
Indexes
An index is a specialized database that organizes
information about the locations of articles in journals/magazines,
reports and newspapers; and book chapters, papers in conference
proceedings, and book reviews. Indexes provide the complete
bibliographic citation of an article, including the title
of the article, author, name of the journal, volume number,
the pages of the journal in which the article can be found,
and a short summary, or abstract, of the article. Some indexes
are in book form, and some are electronic databases. Some
electronic databases, including MLA, do NOT provide the complete
text of articles. For tips on how to effectively
search databases, and how to find journals that are not available
on-line, contact your librarian, or consult How
to Find Materials on English in the Waidner-Spahr Library.
Print:
Mystery Index: Subjects, Settings, and Sleuths
of 10,000 Titles
REF PR830 .D4 O43 1987
Electronic:
MLA
International Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
The premier scholarly index for literature, language,
linguistics, and folklore.
Biography
and Genealogy Master Index
Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) is the best place to
begin a search for information about people. It is an index of reference
sources containing biographical information on individuals, both
living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas
of the world. This index is not full-text, but Dickinson College
owns many of the materials referenced in the database. A librarian
can help you locate any materials you are having trouble locating.
Essay
and General Literature Index
Indexes chapters and essays contained in books of collected works.
Humanities
Full Text
Covers journal articles in the humanities, archaeology, art, classics, film,
folklore, history, journalism and communications, linguistics, literature, music,
performing arts, and religion.
Humanities
and Social Sciences Retrospective
A bibliographic database that cites articles from English-language
periodicals. Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary
fields covered in a broad array of humanities and social sciences
journals.
Lexis-Nexis
Lexis Nexis will provide you with full-text from newspapers around
the world, for up to the past ten years.
Project Muse
Project Muse covers numerous subject fields in the humanities,
the social sciences, and the arts, including history. Journals
covered by Project Muse are scholarly and peer-reviewed, published
by a not-for-profit press or scholarly society, and be a sensible
fit with titles in the humanities, the social sciences and
the arts.
Reader's
Guide Full Text
This index will help you find articles in popular newsstand
publications, such as Time and Newsweek.
WorldCat
A catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
You can use this database to find out what libraries own material
you might need.
Encyclopedias
& Dictionaries
Dictionaries and encyclopedias are helpful in finding
basic information about your topic area. They may also serve as
sources of inspiration to you as you search for new topics to research.
The following list is not comprehensive. Search the library catalog for
more encyclopedias and dictionaries. Refer to How
to Find Materials on English in the Waidner-Spahr Library for
tips on how to best perform a search, or contact your librarian
for assistance.
Reference and Research Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction
REF Z5917. D5 B59 2004
The Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery
REF PN3448 .D4 M87 1999
The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing
REF PN3448 .D4 H37 1999
Twentieth Century Crime and Mystery Writers
REF PR888 .D4 T8 1991
Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection
REF PN3448 .D4 E5 1976
Print:
Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction
REF PN3448. D4 C69 1989
Great Women Mystery Writers
REF PR830. D4 G74 1994
Electronic:
Biography
and Genealogy Master Index
Biography and Genealogy Master Index is the first place you
should look when seeking biographical information on any living
or deceased person worldwide. It is an electronic index to
over 13 million biographical entries in 3,400+ biographical
reference works.
A database that includes biographic details on approximately 100,000 modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters. Featured are current writers, the most-studied literary figures of the early 20th Century and authors from around the world whose works have been translated into English or published in the United States. Included are the author's writings, media adaptations, works in progress sidelights and interviews.
Dictionary
of Literary Biography
The Dictionary of Literary Biography presents career biographies and criticism
of writers from all eras and all genres through volumes dedicated to specific
types of literature and time periods.
Crime Fiction
REF PR830. D4
Academe in Mystery and Detective Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography
REF PS374 .D4 K73 2000
American Mystery and Detective Novels: A Reference Guide
REF PS374 .D4 L34 1999
Mystery and Suspense Writers: The Literature of Crime, Detection,
and Espionage
REF PR830 .D4 M97 1998
Sleuths, sidekicks and Stooges: An Annotated Bibliography of
Detectives, Their Assistants and Their Rivals in Crime, Mystery
and Adventure Fiction, 1795-1995
REF PN3448 .D4 G74 1997
Detective and Mystery Fiction: An International Bibliography
of Secondary Sources
REF PN3448 .D4 A36 1985
Print:
Magill's Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction
REF PN3448 .D4 C75 1988
Crime Fiction Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography
REF PR830 .D4 J63 1981
Electronic:
Literary
Index
Gale's Literary Index is a master index to the major literature
products published by Gale, including Contemporary Authors, Contemporary
Literary Critisicm, and Poetry Criticism.
Literature Criticism Online
This index includes several literary criticism series including Contemporary Literary Criticism (CLC) and Twentieth Century Literature Criticism (TCLC).
Clues
Located in Periodicals, lower level
Holdings: v. 1, no. 1 (1980)-v. 18, no. 2 (1997) ; v. 20, no. 1
(1999)-v. 22, no. 2 (2001) [Print]
Literary
Resources on the Net
A "meta" site maintained by Rutgers University — Newark.