History of ENGLISH LITERATURE, a COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF BOOKS

I recently completed my B.A. in English and you know what was the hardest part of it all?
You might say passing out, while you won't be wrong at all but that wasn't the toughest. The toughest part was finding books!  yes, you read it correctly, finding books.
Here I'll try to make a really comprehensive list of books that are based on English literature's history.
So that another student does not get as confused as me while buying books and can avoid real bad ones.




#1 Norton History of English literature

It has lots of parts and are darn expensive. If you are ready to shed around 20k then please please buy these.They are the best in this field.
Besides they are really detailed, you don't have to buy anything else if you buy these.
Or you can download them here!



#2 A short Oxford History of English Literature by Edward Albert

This is a small book, and quite handy, not as much detailed but still it is very thorough, it is certainly one of the top choices for any literature student.
Download it here!



#3 The Short Oxford History of English Literature by Andrew Sanders

While it is less comprehensive than Albert and not as good in details, it will give you a quick crash course on the subject.

Download it here!



#4 A critical History of English Literature by David Daiches

While this is a very boring and vast read(I assure you that you'll need copious amount of coffee and will probably still fall asleep halfway round the book) it is still a very good book for a student as it gives a very comprehensive look and detailed knowledge.
I'll even go as far as to say it is probably the most detailed one till date which is within a person's budget.
Volume 1 Download it here!
Volume 2 Download it here!



#5 An outline history of English Literature by W.H. Hudson

This is a very small book and very good for a small overall knowledge of the subject. It can be very overwhelming if you try to read the detailed and comprehensive ones first but if you first read it then it would be way better when you will dive headlong into details next.
AT least it won't overwhelm you!
It is pretty old, you can easily get it very cheap from any old book stall.




#6 A short History of English Literature by Ifor Evans.

As the title says, it is small so don't expect much from it except a very good bird's eye-view of the topic.
This too is quite old and will surely be available in secondhand or old book stores for a cheap price.




#7 The Outline of Literature by John Drinkwater

It has two volumes, I especially love the first one as not only does it gives certain translated works of literature from other languages it also tells the story of lots of other cultures and their languages and how those influenced English literature.
It is however a rare book to find(I kind of stumbled upon it while going through a second hand bookstore)
Please let me know if anyone of you have the download link, I'll put it up here then.




#8 English social and cultural history by Bibhash Choudhury

While it is strictly not English literature per say, but it will help you tremendously in understanding their language and different events and ages of it as the language and works of a race are always explicable binded by their culture and social phenomenon.

Download the sample here!




# 9 The Oxford Illustrated history of English Literature , Edited by Pat Rogers

It bought it cause I completely fell in love with this. It is an amazing book, filled with lots and lots of vivid pictures, manuscripts, illustrations and what not. While this does not provide more information than David Daiches, still it contains some here and there facts which I've not been able to find in any other place. If you love to know unusual things about certain authors or their works or any age which is not main stream knowledge then you should definitely check this one out!

#10 The Cambridge History of English literature 


They have the volumes divided by ages and time periods, almost as vast a Norton. However the language is a bit high so it takes a bit time to understand it.
It is a great edition if you have enough time to pour over these tombs while also juggling other assignments.
You can download it here!
(just go there type the name and you'll get them)





Now then here you go! Best of luck for your journey ahead!
I know it will probably be the toughest course of your life yet, but hang on there. Believe in yourself and study and you'll succeed.





If you want me to do a list of books of different ages or regarding Philology or Phonetics, then feel free to drop a comment and I'll try my best to help you out!