Shakespeare: Your Go-To Resource for All Things Bard: Finding Books

To find books and government documents in USA Libraries' collections, use SOUTHcat: USA Libraries' Catalog.

• Catalog tips and tricks:
  • Keyword searches – use quotation marks to hold phrases together ("stage setting")
  • Truncation – use ? after the root of a word to find all its variants (critic? finds criticism, critical)
  • Browse the Subject(s) field in records to find the right words for searches. (Example: Try doing a keyword search for Shakespeare biography, then look at the subject(s) field in several records. You’ll see that the subject term could be "Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616.--Biography" or "Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Biography--Psychology." Click the subject heading to find more records with this subject.)
• Revise and refine your searches. Combine words or phrases.
• Watch for repeating call numbers and browse stacks in that area.
• Pay attention to the Location and Status fields. You will need this information to locate the item in the library.

Below are some suggested search terms to use when searching the SOUTHcat catalog or library databases. Search techniques may vary with each database, so look at help screens or ask a librarian for suggestions about using quotation marks and truncation symbols.

KEYWORD

Leave out the word "and" when doing a keyword search on SOUTHcat, since this is automatically added if the phrase is not in quotes.

Put phrases in quotation marks to search as a phrase.

Use ? as a truncation or wildcard symbol in the catalog.

Use Advanced Boolean Search for combinations of concepts and phrases.

• character? shakespeare
• critic? shakespeare
• actor? shakespeare
• "stage setting" shakespeare
• traged? shakespeare
• comed? shakespeare
• "king lear" shakespeare
• masculinity shakespeare
• feminism shakespeare
• history shakespeare
• annotation shakespeare
• sonnets shakespeare

SUBJECT

To find books about Shakespeare by Library of Congress subject heading, you can copy and paste the headings below into the search box and select "Subject Heading Browse."

To find a book on a particular play (including texts of the play), follow this format:

Shakespeare, William. 1564-1616. [Name of Play]

ex. Shakespeare, William. 1564-1616. Henry

      Shakespeare, William. 1564-1616. Romeo and Juliet

Other Subject Headings:

• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Adaptations
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Appreciation
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Authorship
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Bibliography
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Biography
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Characters
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Comedies
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Concordances
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Contemporaries
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Contemporary England
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Criticism and interpretation
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Criticism and interpretation—History
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Criticism, textual
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Dictionaries
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Dramatic production
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Ethics
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Friends and associates
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Handbooks, manuals, etc.
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Histories
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Humor
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—In fiction, drama, poetry, etc.
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Influence
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Knowledge
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Language
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Literary style
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Philosophy
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Political and social views
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Quotations
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Religion
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Sonnets
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Sources
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Stage history
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Study and teaching
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Symbolism
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Technique
• Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616—Tragedies

If you cannot find what you are looking for in SOUTHcat, try looking in WorldCat. It will allow you to search the catalogs of many other libraries around the world. If you find something you like, let a librarian know, and we may be able to get the item for you through Interlibrary Loan.