Masterplots: 2010–2018 Supplement

For 70 years, high school and college students have turned to Masterplots for a concise summary of the book they were supposed to have read by the next day. Now they may look to Wikipedia, although Masterplots remains a far more reliable source. Each of the 187 entries in this two-volume supplement to the 12-volume fourth edition (2000), written by one of 30 contributors (writers and academics), keeps to a standard format and includes general information about the author and book (type of work, plot, principal characters), followed by a summary of the story or stories; a brief critical evaluation of the book, citing several key reviews; and further reading suggestions. Organized alphabetically by title, works covered are a global collection of novels, short stories, and plays from all over the world but available in English.