This encyclopedia provides essays on the careers, works, and backgrounds of more than 100 of the 150 poets included in the Library of America anthology American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century , also available from Fitzroy Dearborn. It also provides entries on specialized categories of 19th-century verse such as hymns, folk ballads, spirituals, Civil War songs, and Native American poetry. 100 scholars have contributed to the Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century ; they have been allowed great scope to discuss their topics with the result that entries, besides presenting essential factual information, amount to in-depth critical essays. A bibliography at the end of each entry directs readers to other works by and about the poet. This encyclopedia is helpfully keyed to the contents of the Library of America anthology, yet it stands as a comprehensive reference work in its own right.