Review by Choice Review
Among the flurry of publications celebrating the centenary of the publication of Joyce's classic novel, this massive, 1,420-page guide, though hardly portable, is an outstanding addition to the scholarship on Ulysses. One assumes the authors intend this book to replace, among others, Harry Blamires's seminal The Bloomsday Book: A Guide through Ulysses (Routledge, 1966). The introductory chapter, "On the Uses and Disadvantages of Annotations for Ulysses," is replete with information about Dublin and its topography, Irish history since 1800, currency, and the book's history, including past annotations, editions of the novel, Joyce's notes, the schemata of the novel, and the title Ulysses. Annotations for each of the novel's 18 books include glosses for almost every word, "keyed in to the Gabler edition of Ulysses [1993] because it is the best iteration of the text of Ulysses presently available." The authors devote an appendix to one of the novel's most complex sections, "Oxen of the Sun," and the bibliography helpfully includes the specific editions of works Joyce himself consulted. This reviewer highly recommends the book to all libraries, but suggests a digital copy might be more convenient, given the size and weight of the book. Summing Up: Essential. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and general readers. --William Baker, emeritus, Northern Illinois University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
