Reference works devoted to horror literature abound and are almost themselves a genre. Inevitably, one finds core authors, themes, and works overlapping in these sources. Though the title under review includes entries on familiar horror-related topics, it contextualizes these subjects meaningfully, with an illuminating global chronology of horror literature and a categorical bibliography of relevant primary and secondary horror literature. Featuring some 400 entries, alphabetically arranged, the volume includes cross-references within the volume but also to entries appearing in other titles in Rowman &Littlefield’s “Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts” series, reinforcing the rigorous selection and editing evident throughout this resource. Outstanding features include cross-references printed in boldface, making them easy to spot; entries on the horror literature publishing industry; influential editors; periodicals; and entries devoted to representative non-Western writers. Fabrizi has published on horror and other genre literatures in the past, and his expertise on the subject is wide and nuanced. With respect to portability, ease of use, and clarity, the Historical Dictionary of Horror Literature is the most usable reference on the subject, especially for high-school students and undergraduates. Essential. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers.

Choice Reviews

Mark Fabrizi has created an extraordinary resource for the horror community. This is an exhaustive, accessible text that should appeal to both scholars and fans of the horror genre.

Daniel W. Powell, Dr., Florida State College at Jacksonville