Professor
Department of English
afrtw@uaa.alaska.edu
Ph.D. University of California
Toby Widdicombe specializes in American literature, textual studies, and utopianism. He has published books on Edward Bellamy and on Anglo-American travel writing. He has also published articles in (among others) Extrapolation, Utopian Studies, ESQ, ATQ, English Language Notes, and The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review. Toby has recently published a book on Raymond Chandler and an introduction to Shakespeare.
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| Simply Shakespeare actively engages the reader in understanding and appreciating Shakespeare's language and intricate stagecraft. Accessible writing style neither talks down to readers nor over their heads. Introduction: "How to Read Shakespeare" outlines strategies readers can adopt to make Shakespeare easier to understand. Four chapters on language focus on the single greatest hurdle for readers: language. The chapters deal with words, imagery (literal and figurative), rhetoric, and humor. Boxed material highlights major points in any topic discussed. Test Cases analyze key passages in depth. Bulleted lists break up heavy prose passages allowing readers to concentrate on key material, making content more accessible. A Resources Section provides an annotated list of websites and books-emphasizing the best resources and latest scholarship. Glossary covers 30 Shakespearean terms most readers have trouble with. For those interested in gaining a clear understanding of Shakespeare and his art.
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| A Reader's Guide to Raymond Chandler |
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Raymond Chandler was one of the most popular mystery writers of his time. This reference is a detailed guide to his works. A chronology and brief biography overview his life, while a section on "Chandler's World" provides alphabetically arranged entries on characters and places in his 7 novels and 25 short stories, summaries of his works, and discussions of key topics in his writings. Appendices provide information about adaptations of his fiction, along with an extensive list of primary and secondary sources for further consultation. |
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| Revisting the Legacy of Edward Bellamy |
| America and the Americans |
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| This collection of 600 excerpts from essays and letters captures a panoramic picture of New York City as described by its visitors from Dutch days to the 1960s. The introduction by James F. Richardson brings the story up to date. James Fenimore Cooper, Frances Trollope, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitmen, Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and H. G. Wells; the Revolution, the Civil War, the Roaring Twenties—each piece captures some aspect of the great city. Many pieces are representative of lost literary genres which recapture for the reader highlights of the city’s history and the nuance of times and customs long since faded. Still others touch upon observations and moods so germaine to the essential nature of New York City that they speak to its unique character in all ages. |
