Frequently Asked Questions: History, Humanities & Social Sciences

Yes!

Please contact us through our Ask a Librarian service with your question and we will do our best to help you identify the literary work you are looking for.  When submitting your question, provide as much detail as you can. Some examples of information that will help us focus our search for the work you are seeking are listed below.

Identifying Novels and Short Stories

Content: Identify, if possible, the work’s intended audience (adults, young adults, or children); its genre (science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, etc.); remembered elements of the book's plot, especially any "odd" or particularly memorable scenes or incidents that might help differentiate the book from others with a similar plot; and any characters’ names and unique words and phrases you recall from the book. Describe, if you can, the book's cover image and any illustrations, if present.

Context: In approximately what year or range of years did you read the book? (Be sure not to state only that you read the book "as a child" or "when in high school," which give no indication of the actual year you read it.) Was the book recently published at the time you read it? Did you read the book as part of a school or work assignment, or for leisure?

Physical Format: Size and shape of book; hardcover or paperback; number of pages; color of binding; presence of dustjacket; inclusion of illustrations (color or black and white).

Identifying Poems

Content: Identify, if possible, the poem's target audience (adults or children); its form (sonnet, villanelle, free verse, etc.) and length (several lines, several stanzas, several pages, etc.); any details you can recall about what the poem is "about"; any words or phrases from the poem that you can recall, especially particularly memorable or unique words or phrases that might help differentiate the poem from others with a similar theme or style; and whether the poem was published in a standalone collection, an anthology, a periodical, or on the Web.

Context: In approximately what year did you read the poem (be sure not to state only that you read the poem "as a child," or "when in high school," which gives no indication of the actual year you read it)? Was the poem recently published at the time you read it? Did you read the poem as part of a school or work assignment, or for leisure?

We also have a research guide about finding works when the authors and titles are not known. Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes: A Guide to Finding Novels, Stories, and Poems may help you in your search.