British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary, 449–2006

Stewart covers a rich 1,500-year span of poets writing in the English language. The dictionary is organized alphabetically, with short entries on in each poet, along with source notes. A short biography on each writer accompanies a listing of many of their notable works. Coverage ranges from famous poets such as Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge to many lesser-known bards such as Vincent "Vinny" Bourne, who, in addition to being a poet and educated at Trinity College in Cambridge, was a housekeeper and deputy sergeant-of-arms to the House of Commons in the 18th century. In addition to the brief yet descriptive entries, readers can also find a listing of the poets by nation (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), a time line of the life of the poets (Old English, Middle English, Renaissance, and so forth), a rather extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index.