Reddit mentions: The best literature encyclopedias

My First Impressions

Okay, I can’t stop thinking about your expressed desire to write for a living. From what I’ve read and heard, get ready for a shock of harsh reality. Writing is not so lucrative, and it is difficult work as well. So that said, I empathize with your heartfelt desire. Let’s see what I might add.

Also, I don’t want to forget to acknowledge the passion and depth portrayed in a story unlike anything you would ever want to write. Nice work!

The Scope

With everything I say, take it for what it’s worth. I’m no expert. I only want to keep my skills sharp by helping others. Feedback on my feedback is always welcome--I want to learn also.
I don’t put much stock in the whole telling verse showing concept. Faulkner told some great literature. And besides, why must everyone write in a stock format anyway. Do what you feel is right and what fits your creative mode.

Mere Suggestions

If you want to be a writer by profession, I would suggest taking the long way home and not hitting the drive thru. I know what I’m saying is cryptic, but there is a metaphoric point behind it.

Many times we want to pull up, order, and hit the road before our food is cold in the bag. When it comes to writing, we find the drive-thru convenient and flashy, but when we get home our food is often stale and dry. Quick courses are beneficial in many respects, but I’ve found that a hard study will open new avenues of depth and precision that were once beyond our present conception.

My advice, if you want write, I mean really write and be successful in writing: step back and study. Take a grammar class or get a grammar book. Understand the components of language we know but hang around us with and unfamiliar plume of foggy understanding. Nail them down and use them.

Then, take a course in creative writing or get some books relating to the creative craft.

I’m not a salesman, but I’ve been one in the past, so beware. Here is a regimen of books I’ve found very helpful in my quest to achieve your expressed desire.

This is a great textbook that approaches English grammar from a linguistic framework. Forget about the old Latin-based grammar rules, this book will teach you the practical aspects of grammar as they relate to writing.

Next, I’ve read all of these and they provide a broad understanding. Each book brings a unique voice to the creative approach. I encourage you to take hold of them all.

Imaginative Writing: The Elements of the Craft

The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing

The Practice of Creative Writing: A Guide for Students

Take them for what they are worth. I apologize for not addressing any specifics in the piece you posted, but I thought this the best place to start.

Humble apologies and encouragements . . . dwrightjones

You know what? I am absolutely convinced that you've already attempted to look up her origins, and have found multiple mentions of her being an Irish god. I'm willing to bet you have absolutely no need for me to provide you with sources, and are just clinging on to hope that I won't provide sources, just so you can somehow "win" the argument. But fuck it, this is a fantastic mythology full of beautiful writing, so I'll compile some links for my own personal use to share with others while also showing you here...

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Her name is an Irish name, so that's a good place to start.

The Morrigan is a triple-deity, all three deities also being Irish. Babh (the Irish word for "crow"), Irish goddess Anu, and then Macha, another Irish word. One of the better books on the subject of the three would be this.

Her "race", for want of a better word, is that of the Tuatha dé Denann (more Irish words), and after a good 5 mins of searching I've found a few dozen references to them as being Irish, and not one suggesting otherwise.

To add to this, the only reason she is notable above any other god is her association with the Hercules of Irish mythology, Cú Chulainn (The Irish for "Hound of Chullainn). The most well known image of The Morrigan is that of her in crow form over his dead body, after previously warning him of his impending death. Not so much relevant to examining her origins, but just adding even more connections with Ireland to build on the sources you're pretending to need.

You want some more books to read? Try this, this, this, or these.

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Now obviously these sources vary in their usefulness, I personally despise using Wikipedia as a source, but I'm not here to do your homework, that's what's convenient for me right now. What I've provided are multiple instances of The Morrigan being referred to as Irish, to the Irish etymology of her name, and the Irishness of other gods associated with her.

I could link to about 100 more books, a dozen more wikipedia entires, or thousands of online references of varying usefulness, all of which refer to her as an Irish goddess, but as I've already established, I am not offering contrarian opinions that differ from the accepted knowledge of scholars and regular Irish folk who were brought up on this stuff. That would be you, the one demanding sources for accepted knowledge while not providing anything to suggest otherwise.

I have no doubt that you will read these sources and become an expert on Irish mythology in the days to come. You are sincerely welcome.

This game got me into the lore as well. I found a pretty basic encylopedia that seemed like a decent overview.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560251719/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Otherwise, I would look into the army books for any faction you're interested in. I found the Vampire Counts especially interesting since it had a whole section on the Von Cartsteins. At least the edition I got

Got mine on Amazon for $22, in pretty great condition. Just checked, I still see copies going for $40 in "good" and "very good" conditions.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Warhammer-Official-Encyclopedia-Best-Selling/dp/1560251719

Completely worth it, I bought it before Warhammer 1 came out and it's such a lovely read. Excellent artwork.

Yeah I found the book. So it appears the author was just roleplaying but even the reviews suggest he seemed like he might have gone overboard in that regard. I remember passages where it seemed like he was making a point of asserting it was real which is probably just him trying too hard not actually being insane.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Tolkien-Companion-J-Tyler/dp/0380469049/ref=sr_1_58?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1522443513&sr=1-58&keywords=tolkien+encyclopedia

It's sadly out of print, but you can still find it on places like Amazon. I paid about a hundred bucks for a paperback version, and it came in the mail in really good condition for a book from the mid 80s.

The Encyclopedia of Dune is hard to get and out of print but it has a ton of cool background nerdy info, its usually like $50-$100 tho https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Encyclopedia-Authorized-Masterpiece-Imagination/dp/0425068137

It looks like they do. Especially since the seller is called Thriftbooks-Atlanta. I'm guessing the currency conversions sometimes get funky, as I got my nice cheap book from a UK seller on a US website.

you definitely should give WHFRPG a shot as a GM (id recommend 2e over 3e). thatd make that world make more sense because it was literally made for it.

as for the setting by itself, that can probably be as simple as using any other setting tbh. theres a warhammer wiki and a book available on amazon

look how much these sell for! Think of the sweet earth bux you could make!! https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Encyclopedia-Authorized-Masterpiece-Imagination/dp/0425068137

There's a glossary at the end of the book. And, if you're really dedicated there's The Dune Encyclopedia.

My dad was always a big science fiction fan and collector, so I was brought up to be one too. I spent a good portion of my youth going to comic book and Star Trek conventions, watching tons of sci-fi movies and shows, and reading magazines such as Starlog, Fangoria, Cinefantastique, The Monster Times, and Famous Monsters of Filmland. So I was always aware of Godzilla and other kaiju films, but I never really gave them much thought, and my dad was indifferent to them so he really didn't sway me to like them or dislike them.

The thing that triggered my fandom was the Godzilla marathon "Godzilla Bash '94" on TNT's Monstervision on Thanksgiving weekend 1994 when I was 9 years old. After that I had to track down every bit of information I could about Godzilla and other Toho monster movies. A good start was all the magazines mentioned above. Another invaluable resource back then was The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies by Phil Hardy, which listed nearly every sci-fi movie ever up til 1983 or so. Then i came across the infamous Ian Thorne book in my school's library. Around the same time, the Trendmasters toyline was released. I got the Godzilla Attacks NY Giant Playset, the Mothra Hatched figure, and when the 98 movie came out, I got Shatter Blast "Godzilla". I had the 2 Godzillas facing off on top of my 13" TV in my bedroom for years.

TL;DR: "Godzilla Bash '94"

Campbell published an atlas of mythology in many volumes. Might be worth checking local or university libraries for the complete set.

https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Atlas-World-Mythology-Vol/dp/0060963484

Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay.

You might be able to expect about $60

http://www.amazon.com/The-Dune-Encyclopedia-Masterpiece-Imagination/dp/0425068137

D'Aulaires' is the standard text for kids (of all ages). For adults, it's Bullfinch's.