Hemmer (English, Harper College), the author of Rebel Roar: The Sound of Michael McClure (2004), has compiled a volume that includes biographical sketches of major and minor beat artists, a selected bibliography of their works, and analyses of their major works by notable academics. Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs get the most attention, but other important figures such as Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, Joyce Johnson, and Hettie Jones are well covered. The encyclopedia provides more literary critique than Beat Culture: Icons, Lifestyles, and Impact, ed. by Willam Lawlor (CH, Nov'05, 43-1283), but it lacks the literary and critical depth of The Beat Generation: A Gale Critical Companion, ed. by Lynn M. Zott (CH, Feb'04, 41-3144), and The Beats: A Documentary Volume (2001), ed. by Matt Theado. The work provides a good foundation for entry-level study of the beat literary and cultural movement; its strength is the expertise of contributors. One shortcoming is that biographies and critiques are presented in one alphabetical list, which forces the reader to locate a biography in one part of the book and then search for critiques in several other locations. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers. J. F. Shuttle East Tennessee State University

The latest book in the "Literary Movements" series enters an already crowded field, overlapping with such competing works as The Beats: A Literary Reference (Carroll & Graf, 2003), The Beat Generation: A Gale Critical Companion (2003), and Beat Culture: Lifestyles, Icons, and Impact (ABC-CLIO, 2005). Hemmer (English, Harper Coll.) provides hundreds of signed, A-to-Z entries on Beat writers and their works, written by knowledgeable scholars and poets. In terms of scope, he casts a wide net, including several younger figures, e.g., Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison, influenced by the Beats. No criteria, however, are given for inclusion. Why Andy Clausen but not Antler? Why Kathy Acker but not Jan Kerouac? Why John Lennon but not Eric Andersen? Most conspicuously absent is Peter Orlovsky, Allen Ginsberg's longtime companion. Indeed, of the major Beat authors, Ginsberg seems to get short shrift. Important collections, e.g., Empty Mirror, Reality Sandwiches, and Planet News, are not represented; nor are major poems like "Wales Visitation," "Plutonian Ode," and "White Shroud." The entries are supplemented by a nice selection of photographs by Beat photographer Larry Keenan, a "Beat Generation Movement Chronology," and primary and secondary bibliographies. Bottom Line While the book's articles are authoritative and well written, Hemmer might have done better had he narrowed his definition of "Beat" and provided more balanced coverage for the movement's Holy Trinity: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. Libraries owning Gale's The Beat Generation and one or more of the other reference works cited above will have little need for this volume.-William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 9 Up--This source emphasizes the best works of Beat literature. The introduction poses questions and provides analyses as to what works constitute the genre. Various scholarly contributors, including teachers, authors, poets, and English professors, sign off on numerous entries written in a succinct, informative, and user-friendly manner. Readers can access entries alphabetically, either by writer or literary work. Coverage ranges from the more popularly known writers, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, to people such as Kathy Acker, Carolyn Cassady, Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski, and John Lennon, who are associated with the movement in differing ways. Enhancements include occasional black-and-white photographs taken by renowned Beat photographer Larry Keenan, selected primary and secondary bibliographies, and a chronology. Though this is an excellent resource, William T. Lawlor's Beat Culture: Lifestyles, Icons, and Impact (ABC-CLIO, 2005) provides a broader overview of Beat culture and would more easily support a teaching-across-the-curriculum focus, with its assortment of entries on multiple subjects, such as literature, history, and people.--Cara Webster, Cumberland Square Vise Library, Lebanon, TN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

"Part of the Facts On File Literary Movements series, this volume is an introduction to the works produced by the Beat writers and their allied contemporaries. It treats writers and their best, most famous, and most innovative novels, memoirs, poetry, essays, and short stories. The Beat Generation is defined here as extending from 1944 to 1967, but writers who influenced or were deeply influenced by the Beats are included as well, among them Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Arrangment is alphabetical, and entries are usually around a page to a page and a half long, although those for the well-known authors William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac extend for multiple pages. Each entry concludes with a bibliography for more information. Some entries include black-and-white photos. Following the entries are an afterword summarizing the Beats' influence; a selected bibliography of major works, arranged by author; a selected bibliography of secondary resources; a chronology; and an index. The Beat Generation (2003), part of the Gale Critical Companion series, covers the literature in greater depth. Beat Culture: Lifestyles, Icons, and Impact (ABC-CLIO, 2005) has entries for cultural and historical themes and musicians and artists as well as writers. The Facts On File volume is meant to be an overview of major contributors to the Beat movement, and it is recommended for literature collections."--"Dawson, Jennifer" Copyright 2007 Booklist