Wow! eBook
Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction
Author(s): Don D'Ammassa (Author)
- Publisher: Facts on File
- Publication Date: January 1, 2009
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 306 pages
- ISBN-10: 0816075735
- ISBN-13: 9780816075737
Book Description
Covers some of the very best of adventure fiction, from literary classics such as Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent to tales that have enthralled younger readers for many years, such as Treasure Island and The Wizard of Oz.
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
A part of the Literary Movements series, this A–Z reference covers, in more than 150 entries, short stories, novels, subgenres, characters, and authors. A professional writer and book reviewer specializing in genre fiction, D’Ammassa offers a sampling—but not an extensive exploration—of adventure fiction from its beginnings to today. He explains in the introduction that adventure fiction can be difficult to define and spans genres, but “our focus will be confined almost exclusively to those stories where the adventurous element is of prime importance.” Although a few popular writers such as Robert Ludlum and Wilbur Smith are included, the emphasis is on classics—Ivanhoe, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Three Musketeers. Most of the entries discuss specific titles and provide overviews and critical analyses. Following the entries is a “Bibliography of Adventure Fiction” that lists the adventure fiction written by the authors who are mentioned in the book, but there are no bibliographies or suggested readings for each entry and no bibliography of additional works about adventure fiction, which limits the volume’s usefulness for further investigation. An interesting read for those studying adventure fiction, this is a supplemental reference but not a first or only source to use in research. Also available as an e-book. –Sara Marcus
