Reference Resources

There are many print sources available in libraries and book stores that are valuable tools for fantasy fiction selection. For those seeking print guides to the genre, all of the materials listed below are appropriate.

Books

Burgess, Michael. (1992). Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

The Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is, according to Burgess, intended for the librarian, researcher, and fan. Burgess is the author of some of the reference sources noted in this book and is very knowledgeable of the genre, noting that 90% of the books annotated are in his personal collection. It is an annotated bibliography for all major reference sources in the fiction genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The book is comprehensive of reference sources, listing encyclopedias and dictionaries, catalogs, directories, subject bibliographies, author bibliographies and much more. When looking for reference resources covering fantasy fiction, this is a one-stop shop.

Cawthorn, James and Michael Moorcock. (1988). Fantasy: The 100 Best Books. New York: Carroll & Graf.

The authors of Fantasy: The Best 100 Books are James Cawthorn, an illustrator of science fiction and fantasy; and Michael Moorcock, a well-known British fantasy author. They have selected their top 100 favorite fantasy fiction books. The books featured are listed in order of publication, dates which span from 1726 to 1987. Although this book is over fifteen years old, it still contains annotations for many of the best-loved fantasy classics, as well as some lesser-known novels. The authors write wonderful essays about each book and provide background information on writers as well.

Herald, Diana Tixier. (1999). Fluent in Fantasy: A Guide to Reading Interests. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

Fluent in Fantasy is part of the genreflecting series, definitive guides to genre fiction. Fluent in Fantasy, written by a librarian, is one of the best reference sources for the genre, with a definition of the genre and its subgenres, and an annotated bibliography arranged by subgenre and alphabetically by author. Award winners and novels considered Young Adult are labeled as such. If a book is part of a series, other books in the series are listed. The book ends with its own bibliography of reference sources, award statistics, a fantasy fiction vocabulary glossary and an index. If a reader or library could only choose one reference source for fantasy fiction, this is the book to choose.

Saricks, Joyce. (2001). Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago: ALA.

This readers’ advisory guide is for all fiction genres, and the chapter on fantasy lists many suggested authors and titles to try. One great feature of this source is the list, “Fantasy Writers to try, if you enjoy . . .” For those who are just starting to read the genre, there are recommendations for readers of historical fiction, westerns, inspirational and more. Saricks also includes some “sure bets,” fantasy books she believes will be appealing to all readers. The chapters in the book are arranged well, broken down into clearly defined sections with subheadings. The figures showing author and title lists are especially helpful, allowing readers to find titles quickly if needed. At the end of the chapter, Saricks mentions other useful fantasy fiction reference sources. Although fantasy fiction is only one chapter of this book, that chapter holds enough good information to make the Readers’ Advisory Guide a valuable source.

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