Chambers Dictionary of Literary Characters (New edition)

A new edition of the Dictionary, this substantial and handsome volume lists over 6,500 of the most famous and influential characters – or “author's players” as the introduction puts it – from novels, plays and poetry in English.

Arranged alphabetically by character's surname or synonym, each entry cites the literary work in which he or she appears, date of first publication, author, and gives a concise, one‐paragraph, summary of the character's attributes and role. The date range is impressively wide: from Beowulf, through Hamlet, to Samad Iqbal (Zadie Smith's White Teeth, 2000). Cross‐referencing is equally good. For example,...