At the Centre College Library, we use the Library of Congress Classification System (LOC). Most English literature books are in the "P" call number range.
Types of Books you may encounter:
Anthology - A published collection of articles or writing.
Additionally, you may find Literary Criticism anthologies. Literary Criticism is the analysis, interpretation, commentary, and evaluation of authors and their literary contributions. The word "criticism" does not mean a negative review but rather a careful examination of the symbols, historical context, themes, and influences of the author's work or style.
Scholarly Books - Sometimes called 'Monographs', these books are written by scholars and experts in English and intended for other specialists in the field. Scholarly books are typically published by a university press or other scholarly publishing house.
Primary Sources - Though many books are secondary sources, some books can be considered primary sources.
Some examples of primary source books in English include:
Original Literature (sometimes called seminal texts such as Plato's Republic) - Secondary sources can also be seminal sources. Seminal just means “universally recognized as something everyone should read.
Autobiographies
Reproduction of Diaries, essays, and other personal manuscripts.
Suggested call numbers relevant to the English Literature department are below.
