Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre

by Sarah L. Johnson

Overview

Unlike guides that take a simple geographic-chronological approach to listing historical fiction, this book takes a genre approach, with chapters devoted to historical romances, mysteries, adventures, etc. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, it guides users to similar titles and read-alikes. Focusing on English-language novels published since the mid '90s, plus the perennial favorites commonly available in libraries, it details 3,800 books set in times prior to the mid-20th century. Appendices contain lists of award-winning titles and targeted reading lists. Detailed indexes are available for authors, titles, subjects, time/place, and character names. An essential guide for readers' advisors and other professionals who guide readers in book selection, this book will also aid in collection development.

Recent burgeoning reader interest in historical fiction has created a tremendous outpouring of historical novels from the publishing world. While there are several guides devoted to historical novels, they take a simple geographic-chronological approach, and do not organize titles in a way that effectively matches reading preferences. In contrast, this book takes a genre approach to historical fiction, with chapters devoted to historical romances, historical mysteries, historical adventures, and so forth. By grouping titles by subgenre and theme, and describing their features and plots, the book will guide users to similar titles and read-alikes. Focusing on English-language novels published since the mid '90s plus the perennial favorites commonly available in libraries, this book guides you and your patrons to more than 3,800 books set in times prior to the mid-20th century and in which historical events play an integral role. Chapters are organized according to subgenre and type, i.e., traditional, epics, romance, sagas, westerns, crime, adventure, thrillers, literary, inspirational, time-slip, alternate histories, and fantasy. Within chapters, Johnson further groups the titles according to sub-subgenres and time/place. In addition to bibliographic information and brief plot summaries, you'll find information on award winners, biographical novels, classics, and indications of titles appropriate for young adults and book groups. Appendixes contain lists of award-winning titles and targeted reading lists (e.g., historical fiction featuring Latinos). Further access to the titles is provided by detailed indexes for authors, titles, subjects, time/place, and character names. This guide will give you a deeper understanding of the historical fiction genre, update you on new titles, reacquaint you with classics, and help you easily identify read-alikes and book club selections for your patrons. It will also help you find fiction titles set in particular times and places to complement curriculum needs or meet specific areas of interest. An essential guide for readers' advisors and other professionals who guide readers in their book selections, this book will also aid collection development specialists and educators. Young adult and adult. Grades 10 and up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591581291
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/30/2005
Series:	Genreflecting Advisory Series
Pages:	836
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.75(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sarah L. Johnson is Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor at Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University. A longtime reader and collector of historical novels, Johnson is the American book review editor for Historical Novels Review (a historical fiction review jourbanal for the United States and Great Britain) and serves as NoveList's historical fiction editor.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Appeal of the Past
Traditional Historical Novels
Multi-Period Epics
Romancing the Past
Sagas
Western Historical Novels
Historical Mysteries
Adventures in History
Historical Thrillers
Literary Historical Novels
Christian Historical Fiction
Time-Slip Novels
Alternate History
Historical Fantasy
Resources for Librarians and Readers
Appendix A: Award Winning Historical Novels
Appendix B: Reading Lists by Plot Pattern or Theme

Editorial Reviews

Johnson provides a well-researched, exhaustive guide to recent historical fiction, a genre popular with both scholars and casual readers…. Johnson's work covers 3,800 annotated and cross-referenced entries arranged by specifically defined subgenres. Each category, e.g., Traditional Historical Novels, Historical Thrillers, Time-Slip Novels, is subdivided further by world region and historical era. An introductory essay traces the literary significance of historical fiction from its beginnings with Sir Walter Scott in the early 19th century. The annotations also indicate benchmarks of the genre, award winners, and titles recommended for young adults and reading groups. Appendixes include suggested online resources, information on writers' associations, lists of award winners, and indexes by author, setting, and historical character. Overall, this is an excellent resource…. Highly recommended. All levels.” —Choice

“This welcome addition to the readers' advisor's reference shelf by Johnson, reference librarian at Eastern Illinois University and historical fiction editor, is an excellent, detailed reference tool for readers' advisors to use with patrons, in collection development, and in expanding personal genre knowledge. Like other titles in the Genreflecting Advisory series, this resource is organized by subgenre, explains the appeal factors of each, and includes brief, well-written plot summaries of every title. Unlike other historical fiction references usually organized by time period and geographic setting, this tool groups titles on the basis of style and similarity of theme. This makes sense, as readers often choose historical fiction primarily by these attributes….Abundant title suggestions from a wide range of perspectives and topics will please readers, and up-to-date entries ensure success in finding books on the shelves. Librarians will find the Resources for Librarians section most useful, and a strong index provides traditional access points for those seeking fictional treatment of specific time periods or historical figures, geographic coverage, and particular authors or titles. Highly recommended for public libraries.” —Library Jourbanal

“Its primary audience is collection development and reader's advisory librarians; however, readers and genre fans will enjoy scanning this book. I recommend the Historical Fiction: A Guide to the Genre as a necessary addition for public libraries. Many college and university libraries will also want to purchase this title. I also recommend that, if funds permit, a second copy of this book be purchased for the circulating collection. Then historical fiction readers can spend a delightful time selecting their next titles to read.” —Collection Management

“For libraries seeking a single guide for the genre, with a substantial number of recent books, this excellent addition to the series works.” —Reference Reviews

“The whole work is clearly and consistently laid out, very well constructed and signposted, and so helps any reader or reader's adviser not only unlock the likely works they might seek but also, and probably more importantly, find a lot of subject matter they were not seeking but will now want to read…. Put all this together with an informed and informative discussion of the whole genre in the book's introduction and you have a model of a work of its kind, where contents and layout combine with a clarity and convenience that yet again show a book as matching any web site for accessibility and user friendliness…. This is a guide that will serve just about any library that can afford it: for once I would suggest that its price is not so high as to put it out of the reach of many smaller libraries where it will prove an invaluable resource for a wide range of readers looking for new titles…. An invaluable resource guide.” —VOYA

“Libraries unlimited has added another outstanding reader's advisory reference work to its Genreflecting Advisory Series. This new entry covers historical fiction in all its many forms, defining the genre and analyzing its appeal to help librarians better understand what draws readers…. A must-have for public and high-school librarians, who will find it an essential tool for understanding this genre, developing collections, and advising patrons.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“A marvelous achievement…. An impressive work.” —The Historical Novels Review

From the Publisher