Canadian Literature Index: A Guide to Periodicals and Newspapers, 1988

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

The Canadian Literature Index, as its preamble states, “has dual
objectives: one, to access all Canadian primary materials (poems, short
stories, novels, plays and literary essays), and two, to access all
Canadian secondary materials (critical articles, book reviews,
interviews and bibliographies), in the field of Canadian literature.”
This is admirably achieved in author/subject indexes that, in this
instance, cite references to such material in all major Canadian
periodicals published in 1988, one or two international reviews (Times
Literary Supplement and New York Review of Books), and “selected”
Canadian newspapers. It is, without doubt, a useful and reliable
research tool: easily accessed, detailed in its information, and
superbly printed.

Without undermining its excellence, however, I would suggest a couple
of improvements. For example, while periodical citation is
comprehensive, that for newspapers is not—for only seven are surveyed
(presumably those which met the editor’s standards of quality). I
would argue that there are Canadian newspapers (other than those
included) whose reviews are as valuable as those of the Toronto Star and
Montreal Gazette. If it were suggested that space will not allow such
comprehensiveness, I would urge another refinement: cut down on
redundancy. Most citations in the present volume occur three times. For
example, Don Gutteridge’s review of The Collected Poems of Al Purdy
occurs first under “Gutteridge” in the author index and twice (under
“Purdy” and “Collected Poems of Al Purdy”) in the subject index.
This (often unnecessary) cross-referencing not only makes the whole book
too large but denies space to material from newspapers excluded from the
survey.