Part of the Facts On File Literary Movements series, this volume is an introduction to the "works produced by the Beat writers and their allied contemporaries." It treats writers and their "best, most famous, and most innovative" novels, memoirs, poetry, essays, and short stories. The Beat Generation is defined here as extending from 1944 to 1967, but writers who influenced or were deeply influenced by the Beats are included as well, among them Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Arrangment is alphabetical, and entries are usually around a page to a page and a half long, although those for the well-known authors William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac extend for multiple pages. Each entry concludes with a bibliography for more information. Some entries include black-and-white photos. Following the entries are an afterword summarizing the Beats' influence; a selected bibliography of major works, arranged by author; a selected bibliography of secondary resources; a chronology; and an index. The Beat Generation (2003), part of the Gale Critical Companion series, covers the literature in greater depth. Beat Culture: Lifestyles, Icons, and Impact (ABC-CLIO, 2005) has entries for cultural and historical themes and musicians and artists as well as writers. The Facts On File volume is meant to be an overview of major contributors to the Beat movement, and it is recommended for literature collections.

Gr 9 Up-This source emphasizes the best works of Beat literature. The introduction poses questions and provides analyses as to what works constitute the genre. Various scholarly contributors, including teachers, authors, poets, and English professors, sign off on numerous entries written in a succinct, informative, and user-friendly manner. Readers can access entries alphabetically, either by writer or literary work. Coverage ranges from the more popularly known writers, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, to people such as Kathy Acker, Carolyn Cassady, Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski, and John Lennon, who are associated with the movement in differing ways. Enhancements include occasional black-and-white photographs taken by renowned Beat photographer Larry Keenan, selected primary and secondary bibliographies, and a chronology. Though this is an excellent resource, William T. Lawlor's Beat Culture: Lifestyles, Icons, and Impact (ABC-CLIO, 2005) provides a broader overview of Beat culture and would more easily support a teaching-across-the-curriculum focus, with its assortment of entries on multiple subjects, such as literature, history, and people. Cara Webster, Cumberland Square Vise Library, Lebanon, TN