Reznowski (Washington State Univ.) has written an accessible, thorough, and highly useful guide to doing research in Canadian literature. The guide adheres to the template established throughout the "Literary Research" series, outlining the basics of online searching; general literary reference sources; library catalogs; print and electronic bibliographies, indexes and annual reviews; scholarly journals; periodicals, newspapers, and reviews; microform and digital collections; Web resources; and manuscripts and archives. All offer examples of resources and tools specific to Canadian literary research. The very practical closing chapter, "Researching a Thorny Problem," posits a particular author, in this case Morley Callaghan, whose reputation waxed and waned throughout his career. Reznowski suggests resources and strategies that could assist students in researching a particular time period within Callaghan's writing life. The chapter on archives is excellent, too, providing student researchers with sound advice about what to do in advance of an archival visit, the nature of archival research, what to expect when visiting an archive, and how to work with the materials found there. This book should find a place in every academic library that supports research in Canadian literature. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.

Choice Reviews

The volume examines both pre-Confederation and post-Confederation writers traditionally associated with Canada, it is not limited to English-language material (although that material is dominant), and generally tries to include other special research areas, such as First Nations, francophone, Quebec, and multicultural literature. ….Gabriela Natasha Reznowski’s book is an extremely valuable resource for any scholar who decides to approach Canadian literature or Canadian studies for the first time. It can be particularly useful for beginner graduate students with an interest in Canadian literature, because in addition to specific information on Canadian content, it also offers a solid introduction to the techniques of scholarly research, and a clear guide to how to make productive use of the often dazzling array of resources available to researchers today.

American Review Of Canadian Studies

Tenth in the seriesLiterary Research and Canadian Literature, this volume examines research methodology, strategies, and tools with reference to the literary heritage of Canada. Previous volumes have focused on other predominantly English-speaking countries and specific literary eras. Canada's unique multilingual as well as multicultural experience makes researching its literary history a special challenge. As with previous volumes in the series, the chapters cover the basics of online searching and typical types of literary reference sources—catalogs, bibliographies, indexes, reviews, journals, and other periodicals and newspapers. Subsequent chapters focus on microform and digital collections as well as more specialized archival and manuscript collections. Also included is a chapter discussing the somewhat ephemeral Web resources and the particular challenges of these sites as well as some principals of Website evaluation. The final chapter presents a unique research scenario focusing on the controversial Canadian writer Morley Callaghan with respect to his literary reception both at home and abroad. A useful appendix of resources in related disciplines is included as well as a short bibliography. A detailed index concludes the volume. For both novice and seasoned researchers of Canadian literature, this guide will be most relevant.

American Reference Books Annual