Canadian Literature

Literature written by Canadian authors can often be identified by a “c” prefix on the call number and/or by a maple leaf icon on the spine. When browsing the non-fiction collection of literature (800-899) for Canadian works, note that most novels and short stories will be classed as c823 (English) or c843 (French), most poetry will be classed as c821 (English) or c841 (French), and most plays will be classed as c822 (English) or c842 (French). Note however that Canadian literature is interfiled with literature by authors of other nationalities, so when searching for a specific item on the shelf that has a "c" designated call number (e.g., c823), simply ignore the prefix for the purposes of locating the item.

You can also use the catalogue to quickly find literary works by Canadian authors. Try the subject search Canadian Fiction or Canadian Literature to get started.

Canadian Business and Current Affairs indexes Canadian content as far back as 1933.

Print Indexes are another good place to check. The Book Review Digest 1976 provides references (some annotated) to credible reviews like New York Times, Library Journal, Harper, Newsweek, and more. Or try New York Times online, which contains archived articles from 1851 to 1922 and from 1981 to the present. One last place to check is Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982, which indexes many popular titles of that period.