Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections

The standard location tool for full-length plays published in collections and anthologies in England and the United States since the beginning of the 20th century, Ottemiller's Index to Plays in Collections has undergone seven previous editions, the latest in 1988, covering 1900 through 1985. In this new edition, Denise Montgomery has expanded the volume to include collections published in the entire English-speaking world through 2000 and beyond. This new volume lists more than 3,500 new plays and 2,000 new authors, as well as birth and/or death information for hundreds of authors. Representing the largest expansion between editions, this updated volume is a valuable resource for libraries worldwide.

This comprehensive catalog facilitates rapid location of plays appearing in English in both textbooks and anthologies published between 1900 and 2000. Included are multivolume sets from series that began in the 20th century but were completed after 2000. In addition to correcting errors from previous editions, Montgomery (library science, Valdosta State Univ.; Yale Book of Quotations), who revived the guide after a 20-year interval, has nearly doubled the number of playwrights included and expanded the scope to consider 744 collections. Her experience as an interlibrary loan librarian has permitted her location of English publications in 103 countries, thus adding another 3,593 new plays to the previous edition’s 6,548. Essential for English literature collections., Returning after some 20 years, this volume (7th ed., 1988) remains the classic index to plays in collections and anthologies. The previous edition covered the years 1900 to 1985. Montgomery (Valdosta State Univ.) has revived this work, which now allows users to quickly and easily locate full-length plays written in English and published between 1900 and 2000. Plays are indexed by title, author, and anthology title. Montgomery adds more than 2,300 new authors and 3,593 new plays, expanding the work's focus to include works from 103 countries and making works by women and LGBT authors more discoverable. Also of value are the birth, death, and performance dates for the plays included. Although the print index in general is becoming something of a dinosaur and some of this volume's functionality can be found in EBSCO/H. W. Wilson's online Play Index (CH, Jun'06, 43-5624), Ottemiller's Index still fills an important niche in the reference universe. Anyone searching for a play unavailable in a separate edition, teachers and professors searching for a popular work to perform, and librarians looking to expand their drama collections all will covet this indispensable reference work. Summing Up: Highly recommended., Ottemiller’s Index to Plays in Collections was originally compiled by Dr John Ottemiller in order to provide access to plays published in anthologies or literature textbooks. He compiled the first four editions before his death. . . . Here Montgomery has done an excellent job on updating this classic reference work with a newly revised Index covering the books published throughout the English-speaking world (103 countries) from 1900 to 2000.

Denise L. Montgomery is associate professor of library science and information services librarian at Odum Library, Valdosta State University.