Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

There are a number of references to Roald Dahl. I found Literature Online especially helpful as it lists not only all his own work, but also gives a brief but quite in-depth and analytical biography, and also offers 30 works about him.

Literature OnLine – This database contains over 350,000 works of literature, as well as biographies and literary criticisms, and is fully searchable. It is quite informative as it lists not only all his own works, but provides a brief but quite in-depth and analytical biography. It also contains information for over 30 works about him or his body of literature, though this covers mostly his juvenile rather than adult literature. You can use both the “Find Author” and “Search Criticism and Reference” tools. Many, though not all, have links to the full text article, and there are even reviews of Dahl’s biographies.

MagillOnLiterature – This database contains critical reviews of literary works. Several full-text reviews of Dahl’s work can be found here, though again there are more reviews on his juvenile literature than his adult. Look for a good one on Lamb to the Slaughter, but make sure you’ve read the story before you read the review!

MagillOnAuthors – This database contains information on authors of literary works, including Roald Dahl. The articles contain cross references which are often helpful. Look for a survey of his short fiction, written by Chapel Louise Petty.

Websites:

A lot of information about as popular a subject as Roald Dahl can easily be gleaned from the Internet. I’ve included only the ones that do not focus on his juvenile fiction, except in one case. Here is a sampling of both “official” and “unofficial” websites:

http://www.roalddahlfans.com/ - This is an amazingly extensive website that not only contains a biography and bibliography, but the editor keeps it up to date with commentary on current Dahl information and rumors (such as the much discussed forthcoming film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). She also keeps a list of articles, runs polls and contests, and maintains links to other related sites.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/author/dahl/ - This website contains only a brief biography, but it is a noteworthy site as it has links to four BBC interviews with Dahl. It also has links to other news about Dahl, and to some other Dahl-related websites.

http://www.roalddahl.com – This is the official Roald Dahl website, and while it is clearly aimed towards children and their parents and teachers, it’s still a fun, well- organized site on which to play around.

Indexes:

Biography Index. New York: HW Wilson Company.

Davis Reference (row 1) Z5301 .B5

Created by Shauna Griffin. Last modified 12/03.
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science