This is a list of encyclopedias as well as encyclopedic and biographical dictionaries published on the subject of literature in any language.

Entries are in the English language unless specifically stated as otherwise.

General

Benét, William Rose. Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. 3rd ed., HarperCollins, 1987.Kister, 1994, p. 385. Boynton, Victoria, Jo Malin, Emmanuel S. Nelson. Encyclopedia of women's autobiography. Greenwood Press, 2005. .Guide to Reference: Biography Kister, 1994, p. 385-386.Sheehy, 1986, p. 415.

Brewer's Dictionary of 20th-Century Phrase and Fable. Houghton Mifflin, 1992. Cassell's Encyclopedia of World Literature. Morrow, 1953.

Sheehy, 1986, p. 416. Horn, Maurice. World Encyclopedia of Comics. Chelsea House, 1976.Kister, 1994, p. 325. Sheehy, 1986, p. 414. Kohn, George Childs, Leonard Latkovski. Dictionary of historic documents. Facts on File, 2003. .Guide to Reference: General History Kurian, George Thomas. World Press Encyclopedia. Facts on File, 1982. Magill, Frank Northen, Tracy Irons-Georges. Cyclopedia of world authors. Salem Press, 2004. . Martin, Edward A., Peter Froggatt. A biographical encyclopedia of medical travel authors. Edwin Mellen Press, 2010–. . Miller, Jane Eldridge. Who's who in contemporary women's writing. Routledge, 2002. . Poggendorff, Johann Christian. J.C. Poggendorffs biographisch-literarisches handwörterbuch zur geschichte der exacten wissenschaften. J.A. Barth, 1863–1995. Polking, Kirk. Writing A to Z: The Terms, Procedures and Facts of the Writing Business Defined, Explained, and Put Within Reach. Writer's Digest, 1990.

Pribić, Rado. Nobel laureates in literature: A biographical dictionary. Garland, 1990. .

Sabin, Joseph, Wilberforce Eames, R. W. G. Vail Bibliographical Society of America. A dictionary of books relating to America, from its discovery to the present time. Joseph Sabin, 1868–1936.Guide to Reference: History of the Americas

Sebeok, Thomas A. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Semiotics. Walter de Gruyter, 1986. Seigneuet, Jean-Charles. Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs. Greenwood, 1988. Sherman, Joseph. Writers in Yiddish. Thomson Gale, 2007. . Who was who among English and European authors, 1931–1949: Based on entries which first appeared in The author's and writer's who's who and reference guide originally compiled by Edward Martell and L.G. Pine and in Who's who among living authors of older nations, originally compiled by Alberta Lawrence. Gale Research, 1978. .

Religious literature Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of world scriptures. McFarland, 2001. .Guide to Reference: Religion

Bible Achtemeier, Paul J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. HarperCollins, 1985.Kister, 1994, p. 418.Kister, 1994, p. 417-418. Sheehy, 1986, p. 354. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Baker Book House, 1988. Sheehy, 1986, p. 355.

Sheehy, 1986, p. 356. Sheehy, 1986, p. 357.

Freedman, Davie Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Doubleday, 1992.Kister, 1994, p. 412-413.

Genz, William. Dictionary of Bible and Religion. Abingdon, 1986. Sheehy, 1986, p. 356-357.

Holman Bible Dictionary. Holman, 1991. Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Tyndale House, 1980. Jeffrey, David Lyle. A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Eerdmans, 1992.Kister, 1994, p. 413. Sheehy, 1986, p. 3545-356.

Metzger, Bruce and Michael D. Coogan. Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford University Press, 1993. Meyers, Allen. Eerdman's Bible Dictionary. Eerdmans, 1987.

Mills, Watson. Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Mercer University Press, 1990.

New Unger's Bible Dictionary. rev. ed., Moody, 1988.

Richards, Lawrence. Revell's Bible Dictionary. Revell, 1990.

Sheehy, 1986, p. 354-355.

Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Zondervan, 1974.

Biblical archaeology

Stern, Ephraim. The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. rev. ed., Simon & Schuster, 1993.

Quotations Ayer, A. J., Jane O'Grady. A dictionary of philosophical quotations. Blackwell Publishers, 1992. . Sheehy, 1986, p. 418.

Gaither, Carl C., Alma E. Cavazos-Gaither, Andrew Slocombe. Naturally speaking: A dictionary of quotations on biology, botany, nature and zoology. Institute of Physics, 2001. .Guide to Reference: Biology Gaither, Carl C., Alma E. Cavazos-Gaither, Andrew Slocombe. Practically speaking: A dictionary of quotations on engineering, technology, and architecture. Institute of Physics, 1999. .Guide to Reference: Art and Architecture

Ratcliffe, Susan. People on people: The Oxford dictionary of biographical quotations. Oxford University Press, 2001. . Wagman, Morton.Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science: A treasury of quotations in psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. Greenwood Press, 2000. .Guide to Reference: Philosophy

Arabic and Persian Sheehy, 1986, p. 420.

Chinese

French

German Sheehy, 1986, p. 420-421. Sheehy, 1986, p. 421.

Italian

Harbottle, Thomas Benfield. Dictionary of quotations, Italian. Sonnenschein; Macmillan.Kroeger, 1911, p. 14.

Latin and Greek

Harbottle, Thomas Benfield. Dictionary of quotations: Latin. Sonnenschein; Macmillan. 1909.

Sheehy, 1986, p. 421-422.

Spanish Sheehy, 1986, p. 422.

Regional literatures

African literature Gomes, Aldónio, Fernanda Cavacas. Dicionário de autores de literaturas africanas de língua portuguesa. Caminho, 1997. . (Portuguese).

American (U.S.) literature Sheehy, 1986, p. 443. Bain, Robert, Joseph M. Flora. Contemporary poets, dramatists, essayists, and novelists of the South: a bio-bibliographical sourcebook. Greenwood Press, 1994. . Bain, Robert, Joseph M. Flora, Louis Decimus Rubin. Southern writers: A biographical dictionary. Louisiana State University Press, 1980. . Benét, William Rose. Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. 3rd ed., HarperCollins, 1987. Bobinski, George S., Jesse Hauk Shera, Bohdan S. Wynar. Dictionary of American library biography. Libraries Unlimited, 1978. . Brumble, H. David. An annotated bibliography of American Indian and Eskimo autobiographies. University of Nebraska Press, 1981. . Cambridge Guide to English Literature.Cambridge, 1983. Davis, Arthur Paul, J. Saunders Redding, Joyce Ann Joyce. The new cavalcade: African American writing from 1760 to the present. Howard University Press, 1991–1992. Davis, Gwenn, Beverly A. Joyce. Personal writings by women to 1900: A bibliography of American and British writers. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. . Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 5th ed., Oxford, 1985.Kister, 1994, p. 391-392. Sheehy, 1986, p. 441. Elder, John. American nature writers. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. . Flora, Joseph M., Robert Bain. Fifty Southern writers after 1900: A bio-bibliographical sourcebook. Greenwood Press, 1987. . Franklin, Benjamin V. Dictionary of American Literary Characters. Facts on File, 1989. Goulart, Ron. The Encyclopedia of American Comics. Facts on File, 1990. Hart, James D. Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press, 1986. Hart, James D. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5th ed., Oxford University Press, 1983. Hoffman, Daniel. Harvard Guide to Contemporary American Writing. Harvard University Press, 1979. Hurwitz, Leon. Historical Dictionary of Censorship in the United States. Greenwood, 1985. Levernier, James, Douglas R. Wilmes. American writers before 1800: A biographical and critical dictionary. Greenwood Press, 1983. . Mainiero, Lina. American women writers: A critical reference guide from colonial times to the present. Ungar, c1979–1994. . Marple, Alice. Iowa Authors and Their Works. Iowa State Historical Society, 1918. Morsberger, Robert Eustis, Stephen O. Lessek, Randall Clark. American screenwriters. Gale Research, 1984. . Ousby, Ian. Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. 2nd ed., Cambridge, 1994. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5th ed., Oxford, 1983. Paneth, Donald. The Encyclopedia of American Journalism. Facts on File, 1983. Perkins, George. Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. HarperCollins, 1991. Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. Crowell, 1962. Riggs, Thomas. Reference guide to American literature. St. James Press, 2000. . Salzman, Jack. Cambridge Handbook of American Literature. Cambridge University Press, 1986. Showalter, Elaine, Lea Baechler, A. Walton Litz. Modern American women writers. Collier Books; Maxwell Macmillan Canada; Maxwell Macmillan International, 1993. . Smith, Jessie Carney, Shirelle Phelps. Notable black American women. Gale Research, 1992–2003. .

Unger, Leonard, A. Walton Litz, Molly Weigel. American writers: A collection of literary biographies. Scribner, 1974–. .

Australian literature Cambridge Guide to English Literature.Cambridge, 1983. Gunew, Sneja Marina. A Bibliography of Australian multicultural writers. Centre for Studies in Literary Education, Humanities, Deakin University, 1992.Guide to Reference: History of Australia and Oceania Oxford Companion to Australian Literature. Oxford, 1984.

Canadian literature Cambridge Guide to English Literature.Cambridge, 1983. Mortiz, Albert and Theresa. Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Canada. Oxford, 1987. Story, Norah. Oxford Companion to Canadian History and Literature. Oxford University Press, 1967. Toye, William. The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature. Oxford University Press, 1983.

Caribbean literature Dance, Daryl Cumber. Fifty Caribbean writers: A bio-bibliographical critical sourcebook. Greenwood Press, 1986. . Figueredo, D. H. Encyclopedia of Caribbean literature. Greenwood Press, 2006. .

Chinese literature Baoliang Zhu. 20 shi ji Zhong wen zhu zuo zhe bi ming lu = Twentieth-century Chinese authors and their pen names. Guangxi shi fan da xue chu ban she, 2002. . (Chinese).

European literature Bédé, Jean-Albert and William Edgerton. Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature. 2nd ed., Columbia University Press, 1980.Kister, 1994, p. 386. Giebisch, Hans, Gustav Gugitz. Bio-bibliographisches Literaturlexikon Österreichs: Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Brüder Hollinek, 1964. Reader's Encyclopedia of Eastern European Literature. HarperCollins, 1993.

Albanian literature Dictionary of Albanian Literature. Greenwood, 1986. Hasani, Hasan. Leksikoni i shkrimtarëve shqiptarë 1501–2001. Shtëpia Botuese Faik Konica, 2003. .

Austrian literature Brinker-Gabler, Gisela, Karola Ludwig, Angela Woffen. Lexikon deutschsprachiger Schriftstellerinnen, 1800–1945. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 1986. . (German). Hardin, James N., Donald G. Daviau. Austrian fiction writers, 1875–1913. Gale Research, 1989. . Hardin, James N., Donald G. Daviau. Austrian fiction writers after 1914. Gale Research, 1989. .

Belgian and Dutch literature Sheehy, 1986, p. 473.

British literature Cambridge Guide to English Literature.Cambridge, 1983. Davis, Gwenn, Beverly A. Joyce. Personal writings by women to 1900: A bibliography of American and British writers. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989. . Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 5th ed., Oxford, 1985. Drabble, Margaret and Jenny Stringer. Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford, 1987. Griffiths, Dennis. Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1440–1991. St. Martin's, 1993.Kister, 1994, p. 388-389. Janik, Vicki K., Del Ivan Janik, Emmanuel S. Nelson. Modern British women writers: An A-to-Z guide. Greenwood Press, 2002. . Kanner, Barbara. Women in context: Two hundred years of British women autobiographers, a reference guide and reader. G. K. Hall; Prentice Hall International, 1997. . Ousby, Ian. Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. 2nd ed., Cambridge, 1994. Schlueter, Paul, June Schlueter. An encyclopedia of British women writers. Rutgers University Press, 1998. . Scott-Kilvert, Ian, British Council. British writers. Scribner, c1979–c1984. . Shattock, Joanne. The Oxford guide to British women writers. Oxford University Press, 1993. .