"The Scarlet Letter", "The House of the Seven Gables", "Young Goodman Brown," and "Rappaccini's Daughter" are staples of high school English classes across the country. Nathaniel Hawthorne's works and characters have left a lasting impression on writers, scholars, and readers around the world. "Critical Companion to Nathaniel Hawthorne" offers critical entries on Hawthorne's novels, short stories, travel writing, criticism, and other works, as well as portraits of characters, including Hester Prynne and Roger Chillingworth.

Known for his favorite themes of New England and nature, Robert Frost may well be the most famous American poet of the 20th century. His classic works include the poems "The Road Not Taken," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "The Death of the Hired Man," and many more. "Critical Companion to Robert Frost" is an encyclopedic guide to the life and works of this great American poet. This accessible volume combines extensive critical analysis with in-depth information on Frost's life, providing a one-stop resource for students.

Rossignol's Critical Companion to Chaucer is a revised and expanded edition of her Chaucer A to Z (1999), but its contents have been reconfigured to conform to other volumes in the Critical Companion series. Rather than the previous straightforward alphabetical arrangement, the work is now divided into four sections. Part 1 consists of a nine-page biography of Chaucer, while part 2 provides individual entries on Chaucer's works. In most cases, the entry on each work includes a synopsis, critical commentary, subentries for characters within the work, and a narrative bibliography of sources for further reading.

Arthur Miller, best known for his works "The Crucible and Death of a Salesman", is one of America's most important dramatists. "Critical Companion to Arthur Miller" provides a reliable, up-to-date, and encyclopedic source of information on Miller for high school and college-level students, teachers, and the general public. This accessible volume covers his entire canon, including plays, screenplays, fiction, short stories, and poetry, as well as many of his important essays and critical pieces. 

Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, is perhaps the most important living American author today, and certainly one of the most popular in college and high school courses. Her novels, including "Sula", "Song of Solomon", "Beloved", and "Paradise", have won almost every major award available to them. In addition, her influence as a critic, book editor, and mentor to other writers has been incalculable. "Critical Companion to Toni Morrison" examines Morrison's life and writing, featuring critical analyses of her work and themes, as well as entries on related topics and relevant people, places, and influences.