Essential dictionaries and general reference books a poet should own, suggested by the poets of the NewPoetry email discussion list in response to Jim Finnegan’s question: “If you were to stock a poet’s personal library, filling it with the essential and odd books a poet should own or have ready access to, what titles would be in it?”
The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (20-volume set)
(Oxford University Press, 1989) This is the most complete edition of the ultimate lexicological reference work on the English language, with its incomparable usage notes and etymology, essential for word-lovers. If you can’t afford the 20-volume set, consider the two-volume thumb-indexed Shorter Oxford English Dictionary or the single-volume Concise Oxford English Dictionary, which comes with a CD-ROM.
Glossary of Literary Terms, by M.H. Abrams
(Heinle, 8th edition, 2004) First published in 1957 and now in its 8th edition, this is the dictionary most literary scholars rely on for clear explanations of the specialized words of lit-crit and poetics, written by the renowned Meyer H. Abrams, who was also the general editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms
(Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2nd edition, 2003) A more contemporary, also clear and reliable, glossary for the language used to describe poetry and literature, edited by Ross C. Murfin and Supryia M. Ray.The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics
(Princeton University Press, 3rd edition, 1993) Edited by Alex Preminger and Terry V.F. Brogan, this is a much-expanded edition of the indispensable reference first published in 1965. It covers everything about poetry -- its history, types, movements, prosody, critical terminology -- and it makes a point of including the entire world of poetry, far beyond the borders of the English-speaking US and UK.A Poetry Handbook, by Mary Oliver
(Harvest Books, 1994) In this slim volume (it’s only 144 pages), renowned poet Mary Oliver explains the parts and techniques of poetry -- sound, the line, imagery, diction, poetic forms, free verse, revision -- and illustrates her craft lessons with poems by the likes of James Wright, William Carlos Williams, Elizabeth Bishop, Marianne Moore and Walt Whitman.Brewers Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
(Collins, 16th edition, 2000) Another old standby, this is a classic -- part dictionary, part thesaurus, part encyclopedia -- which teases out the threads of common sayings, legends, myths, allusions and quotations through English history and the evolution of the English language.Rhyming Dictionary
There are lots of rhyming dictionaries, in print and on the Web. Oxford, Penguin, Merriam-Webster and Random House all have them, and there are rhyming dictionaries specifically designed for songwriters, even hiphop artists.The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Poetry and Poets
(Greenwood Press, 2005) Edited by Jeffrey Gray, this monumental 5-volume reference is heavily weighted to contemporary poetry (two-thirds of the entries are on 20th and 21st century poets), but it’s big enough to at least touch on everything and everyone in American poetry.