Some of the most important authors in British poetry left their mark on literature before 1600, including Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, and, of course, William Shakespeare. ""The Facts On File Companion to British Poetry before 1600"" is an encyclopedic guide to British poetry from the beginnings to the year 1600, featuring approximately 600 entries ranging in length from 300 to 2,500 words. This comprehensive new work includes extensive coverage of all the famous poems of the period, including 60 of Shakespeare's finest sonnets and all of his other non-dramatic poems. Appendixes include a general bibliography and a glossary of poetic terms. Coverage includes: Major poems, such as ""Beowulf"", Chaucer's ""The Canterbury Tales"", Shakespeare's finest sonnets, Sidney's ""Astrophil and Stella"", Spenser's ""The Faerie Queene"", and many more. This title features poets, from Anglo-Saxon writers such as Alfred the Great and the ""Beowulf"" poet, to Middle English writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer, to the great poets of the 16th century such as Sir Thomas Wyatt, Christopher Marlowe, and, above all, William Shakespeare. It includes important themes, topics, and movements, such as Anglo-Saxon poetry, the alliterative revival, the Norman Conquest, and more.