Canadian Literature Index: A Guide to Periodicals and Newspapers, 1986

R.G. Moyles is a professor of English at the University of Alberta.

As far as the first part of this book’s title is concerned, one must
praise the whole endeavor. An annual index to Canadian literature
(creative and critical) in serial publications is both a necessary and a
worthwhile undertaking. And the compilers in this case do an excellent
job in terms of format and accessibility. The whole comprises two
indexes: author and subject, the former being a straightforward
alphabetical arrangement and the latter based on a clearly defined set
of key words. The methodology is thoroughly explained in the
introduction; a subsidiary section lists the periodicals indexed, with
addresses and locations. All this, plus a clear, uncluttered text (where
one can instantly distinguish between major entries and subentries),
results in a document that is both valuable and pleasantly perusable.

As far as the subtitle is concerned, there are some questions. One
wonders, if most major newspapers cannot be indexed, why it is necessary
to index newspapers at all. Are there only five Canadian newspapers
worth indexing? While one cannot suggest that the Globe and Mail should
not be indexed, surely the Edmonton Journal or the Vancouver Province
contain as many good book reviews as the Calgary Herald? And it also
seems strange to list “Newfoundland Literature” as a “Key Word
Subject Heading” and omit mention of that excellent periodical
Newfoundland Studies. Such omissions (the Papers of the Bibliographical
Society of Canada is also missing) detract from an otherwise excellent
performance. Comprehensiveness should be the aim of all such
bibliographies.