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Reference - Literature
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Strictly Science Fiction: A Guide to Reading Interests.
Herald, Diana Tixier (author) and Bonnie Kunzel (author).
July 2002. 297p. Libraries Unlimited, hardcover, $55 (1-56308-893-2). 028.
REVIEW.
First published November 1, 2002 (Booklist).
A new entry in the Genreflecting Advisory Series, Strictly Science Fiction deals with a genre about which many librarians feel insecure. Beginning with Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, the authors describe more than 900 titles that are “currently in print or likely to be in library collections.” Herald and Kunzel believe that science fiction cannot be divided into neat subgenres, so they take a “dominant features” approach. Titles are grouped into chapters that represent not only subgenres (“Action Adventure”) but also themes (“Us and Them”), formats (“Short Stories”), and readership (“The Golden Age of Science Fiction Is--Twelve”). Extensive cross-referencing helps in cases where a book is covered in more than one chapter.
Most title entries are annotated, although the only bibliographic data that is supplied is author, title, and date. Icons identify award winners, classics, books that have film versions, and selections that can be recommended to young adults. The final chapter, “Resources for Librarians and Readers,” is a detailed survey of journals, Web sites, reference sources, and more. An appendix lists award winners and “bests.” The volume concludes with an author/title index, a subject index, and a character index.
Like other volumes in the extremely useful series, this title will not only serve as a readers’ advisory and collection development tool but will also educate librarians. Recommended for public and high-school libraries. — RBB
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Features That Discuss This Work:
1. Core Collection : Readers'-Advisory Guides
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