This volume represents a full account of English fiction between 1837-1901. It contains over 1000 biographical entries and over 600 novels have been synopsized. Additionally, a wealth of background material has been included on publishers, reviewers and readers of the form. The material has been arranged alphabetically and, although economical in expression, it aims to meet the high standards of factual accuracy demanded by modern scholarship, while at the same time retaining the human and literary interest associated with such companion reference works.