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Tennessee Williams was one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century, and his works are very popular critical-essay topics for students. As stated in the introduction, the primary goal of this volume is "to assist readers and students of Williams in their quest to understand, enjoy, and situate the works and life of this great American writer."

The volume is divided into four parts. Part 1, "Biography," takes up about 12 and a half pages and covers both Williams' personal and professional life. Accompanying the text are several black-and-white photographs of the writer. At the end of part 1 is a brief further reading section listing books and articles. Cross-references in the text refer readers to entries elsewhere in the volume.

Part 2 contains alphabetically arranged entries on both major and minor works, including plays, screenplays, and short stories. Each entry includes the year the work was written, a synopsis, publication history, commentary, and character summaries. Entries for some of the minor works are about a page long, while those for major plays, such as A Streetcar Named Desire, are up to 12 pages long. Part 2 is interspersed with publicity photos of Williams and photos of Broadway and movie productions. The end of each entry has a further reading section offering a short bibliography of books and articles.

Part 3, "Related Entries," is an A-Z of terms, people, and places that were meaningful in Williams' life. Part 4 has a Williams chronology; a listing of festivals, Internet resources, and important libraries for research on Williams; and bibliographies of works by and about the author. Lastly, there is a detailed index.

This work would be appropriate for high-school libraries, public libraries, and undergraduate academic libraries. It is a very good introduction, although more detailed resources will be needed for in-depth critical analysis. Jennifer Dawson
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