Encyclopedia of the Essay

This heavy, massive tome of over 1,000 pages is hardly designed for reading in bed. For the time being at least, the volume must be regarded as the last word on essayists and their works. Although American in origin, it is international in scope. An advisory body of 13 members has been helped by nearly 300 specialists, mainly American and Canadian academics, though not entirely so. For example, Anthony Levi, formerly Buchanan Professor of French Language and Literature at the University of St Andrews in Scotland has written 15 articles on essayists such as André Gide, La Rochefoucauld, Rousseau and...