More than 350 major authors, from Margaret Atwood to Emile Zola, through Bruce Chatwin, Aldous Huxley, and Graham Swift, are arranged in alphabetical order, each with a short article on style, influences, settings, theme, along with a list of their salient works. At the end of each entry, a 'Read On' section directs readers to similar works by other authors. For the most influential works of literature, 'Pathways' lead readers to books with similar themes. For those new to English literature, there are 'Startpoints' for reading around nine main genres, including Biography, Crime, Letters and Diaries, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Travel.