The sea and Great Lakes have inspired American authors from colonial times to the present to produce enduring literary works. This reference is a comprehensive survey of American sea literature. The alphabetical arrangement of the volume facilitates access to facts about major literary works, authors, characters, themes, vessels, places, and ideas central to American literature of the sea and Great Lakes. While the book includes entries for canonical white male authors such as Herman Melville and Jack London, it also gives considerable attention to women at sea and to ethnically diverse writers, works, and themes. Each of the entries is written by an expert contributor and many provide brief bibliographies. In addition, the volume closes with a chronology and a list of works for further reading.