Dictionary of Literary BiographyGreat, detailed scholarly articles from the Dictionary of Literary Biography can be found online in the Literature Resource Center database.
Below are key reference books that provide a general overview of a topic or help identify synonyms, related terms, or basic data. These sources often include references and lists of further readings.
The Grove Dictionary of Art by 
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by 
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy by 
Encyclopedia of the Enlightenment by 
New Dictionary of the History of Ideas by 
Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History by 
Dictionary of National Biography
Encyclopedia of Romanticism: Culture in Britain, 1780s-1830s by 
The Oxford History of Western Music by 
The Oxford Companion to Art by 
European Writers by 
The New Oxford Companion to Literature in French by 
Encyclopedia of German Literature by 
Dictionary of Scientific Biography by 