Grade 10 Up–This detailed volume "concentrates on civilizations that arose east of the Caspian Sea," from modern Afghanistan and the Aral Sea south to India and Sri Lanka and east to Japan, Korea, and the islands of Southeast Asia. The years covered range from 3000 B.C.E. through the 15th century. Entries vary in length from a paragraph to several pages, with the longer presentations followed by short lists for further reading; the appendix contains a comprehensive bibliography. Topics include dynasties, cultures, archaeological sites, artifacts, religions, temples, palaces, agricultural and economic development, trade, and individuals. The text, though dry, is thorough and up to date, incorporating descriptive material and, where relevant, the various interpretations of an item's or site's significance. There are occasional misspellings and an infrequent gaffe–the second ancient city on the site of Taxila was about one quarter square mile in size, not 72,000 square miles–but the material, with its many cross-references, is generally accurate.

Medieval literature encompasses a broad sweep of people, cultures, and styles. "Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature" offers a comprehensive account of the literary works, writers, and concepts of the Middle Ages; from 500 to 1500 CE. Covering not only European literature but also that of India, the Far East, and the Muslim world, this invaluable A-to-Z guide is one of the most inclusive single-volume references of its kind. Approximately 700 entries cover works, authors, and terms from the following cultures and languages: English: Old English and Middle English, ncluding Beowulf, Chaucer, morality play, Sir Thomas Malory, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Robin Hood, and Troilus and Criseyde; French: Joan of Arc, Marie de France, Parzival, The Song of Roland, and Francois Villon; Provencal: troubadours and Peire Vidal; Celtic: Cuchulain, The Mabinogion, and Ulster cycle; German: The Nibelungenlied, Tristan, Ulrich von Lichtenstein, and Gottfried von Strassburg; Old Norse: Egil's Saga, skaldic poetry, and Snorri Sturluson; Latin: Peter Abelard, Bede, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Historia Regum Britanniae, Psychomachia, and St.Augustine of Hippo; Japanese: Muromachi Period, The Pillow Book, and The Tale of Genji; Chinese: The Story of Ying-ying and Li Po; Islamic: Omar Khayyam, the Koran, and The Thousand and One Nights; Indian: Govindadasa and Mahadeviyakka; Spanish; Hebrew; and more.

Grade 10 Up-Both volumes begin with an overview of the era, followed by alphabetical entries offering information on authors, works, places, events, and terminology. Most of the entries provide dates, additional names, and a bibliography; some also contain brief quotations from the works. Renaissance spans the years between 1500 and 1700 and covers works in many European and Asian languages as well as a few African languages. Individuals featured include Giovanni Boccaccio, John Bunyan, John Calvin, Nicolaus Copernicus, John Dryden, and Edmund Spenser. Medieval examines the period between Classical Antiquity and the Renaissance and provides information on Old English, Middle English, French, Provençal, Celtic, German, Old Norse, and Latin works under such headings as Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer, Dante Alighieri, Sir Thomas Malory, Peasant-™s Revolt of 1381, and troubadours. Both volumes discuss the importance of religion, language, history, the origins of the works, oral traditions, the beginnings of printing, and other influences. Time lines, lists of writers by language, and selected bibliographies are found in both volumes. While these books cover the works most studied in advanced high school courses, they also include a wealth of information about the lesser-known literature.

Houghton Mifflin eReference combines the full-text content of the print editions of The American Heritage® Dictionary, Fourth Edition and Roget's II: The New Thesaurus.