Finding Books & eBooks - English Literature
The majority of the Library's books are now available online as eBooks. You can search for both print and online using UR Library Search.
Here are some handy FAQs about finding and accessing books and eBooks:
- How to search UR Library Search
- How do I find a book on the shelves?
- Borrowing books and requesting items
- Where can I find my module readings?
Most print books on English Literature can be found on the Third Floor of the Library in the 800s section. See below for a full list of Shelfmarks (also known as a Call Number).
The Library also has some specialist collections in Children's literature, including historical archives. See Children's Literature Subject Guide for details.
| Subject | Shelfmark |
| American drama (US) | 812 |
| American literature (US) | 810 |
|
Creative Writing |
808.02 |
| English drama (UK) | 822 |
| English Literature (UK) | 820 |
| English novel (UK) | 823 |
| English poetry (UK) | 821 |
| History and criticism | 809 |
| Literature: general | 800 |
| Novel writing | 808.3 |
| Play writing | 808.2 |
| Reference works (Dictionaries/encyclopaedias etc) | 803 |
| Scriptwriting | 808.23 |
| Shakespeare | 822.33 |
| Theory and philosophy | 801 |
| Works about authors | 828 |
| Writing Drama | 808.2 |
| Writing for TV | 808.225 |
eBooks and Online Reference books
The following eBook collections and reference works are especially useful for English Literature:
- ProQuest One Literature (formerly Literature Online) This link opens in a new window
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Access to full text journals, dissertations, eBooks, primary works, video and reference works from all over the world, including the ProQuest Black Writing Collection, and the World Literature Collection.
- ACLS Humanities EBook collection This link opens in a new window
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Books in the humanities and related social sciences.
- Bloomsbury Collections This link opens in a new window
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Arts and humanities, especially Philosophy. NOTE: We do not subscribe to all of the content in this database. You can refine your results by selecting the option “Only Show content which I have full access to."
- Letters of Charles Dickens: 1820-1870 (Past Masters) This link opens in a new window
This database contains the full-text letters of Charles Dickens and is fully searchable.
- Drama Online This link opens in a new window
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Plays and criticisms from a range of publishers (e.g. Aurora Metro Books, Faber & Faber and Bloomsbury). Also includes Globe on Screen and Early Modern video from V&A Museum's archives. Note: For access select “University of Roehampton”.
- Encyclopedia of Children's Literature This link opens in a new window
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Includes biographies of every major author and illustrator and essays on all genres of children's literature, individual works and prominent trends and themes throughout the world.
- Oxford English Dictionary Online This link opens in a new window
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A fully searchable online version of the Second print edition of the OED.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
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This collection of reference works allows cross searching of over 100 dictionaries and encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press.
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
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50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2000.
- Oxford Handbooks Online This link opens in a new window
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The Oxford Handbooks series brings together the world’s leading scholars to write articles in their field, the focus of which is to review the key issues, make arguments and concepts, and set future agenda for new research.
- Project Gutenberg (Open Access Resource) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to over 60,000 free eBooks; also discoverable through UR Library Search.
- American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
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Profiles of nearly 20,000 influential Americans from all eras of USA history, from pre-colonial times to recent years.
- Cambridge Companions This link opens in a new window
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Includes the Companions in: Philosophy, Religion and Culture, Literature and the Classics and Music.
- Cambridge Histories This link opens in a new window
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American and British history, economic and scientific history, philosophy, religious studies, theatre studies, warfare and literary studies.
