The Arts and Entertainment in Fiction

General and Visual Arts

See also Domestic Fiction for novels featuring crafts, and Art in Mystery for mysteries featuring art.

The Fictional World of Archives, Art Galleries and Museums (David Mattison): Author, title, publication year, some links and some summaries, notation of Canadian authors, notation for books about art/artists, archives, and museums. Total of more than 320 books, including mysteries. Also: Short Stories about art, archives, museums.

Artists and Artworks (Lansing PL, IL): 14-page PDF. Author, title, and summary for about 60 novels about painting and visual arts, from The Portrait by Charles Atkins to Beauty by Susan Wilson. Compiled March 2005, updated Feb. 2006.

Art, Artists and the Art World (Madison Public Library, WI): Author, title, publication year, and summary of 56 works of fiction and 15 mystery titles. Compiled 1998, updated March 2006.

Fiction about the Arts (Northbrook Public Library, IL) : Listed by art form: Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Theater, and Music. Title, author, summary for about 45 novels, including mysteries.

Art in Fiction (Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA): 2-page PDF list. Author, title, pub. year, and summary for 17 books, from Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code to Larry Watson's The Orchard. Compiled Nov. 2003, updated Oct. 2005.

If you liked ... The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (Hennepin County Library, MN): Author, title, publication year, cover image, summary, and webcat link for about a dozen books similar to Vreeland's. From Robert Begiebing's The Adventures of Allegra Fullerton to another book by Vreeland, The Passion of Artemesia. Updated Jan. 2003.

Art in Fiction (State Library of Tasmania): About 55 books/series listed, with authors, some with summaries, all featuring art or artists. Updated 2002.

Novels about Art, Artists, and the Art World (Penny Stevens/Jennifer Hance, Fiction-L): Author/title for over 65 novels listed, many with short summaries. Compiled Sept. 1998, updated June 2001.

Fiction about Creativity (Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Ontario): Author, title, webcat link, for about 25 novels, from Spinster: A Novel by Sylvia Ashton-Warner to The underpainter by Jane Urquhart.

Artful Fiction (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, webcat link, pub. year for about 30 books, from Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Sudden Change of Heart to Jeanette Winterson's Art and Lies: a Piece for 3 Voices and a Bawd. Updated Feb. 2006.

Fine Art Fiction (Sarah Herlache, Fiction-L): Author/title for about 90 fiction titles featuring fine art, from Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye to Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Compiled May 2002.

Fiction Fine Arts Booklist (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, MA): Fiction about music, fine arts, performance arts, and theater. Lists author, title, webcat link, and notation about genre (fantasy, mystery, horror, historical, YA, etc.) for over 125 books, from Charles Atkins's The portrait to Virginia Woolf's To the lighthouse.

Novels from the Studio: Artists in Fiction (Enoch Pratt Free Library - Baltimore): Compiled 2006. More than 20 books, with author, title, summary, webcat link, and publication year. From Luck by Joan Barfoot to The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland. Books published 2003-2006.

Art (Overbooked): 'Novels about art, the art world and artists.' General fiction and mystery and crime fiction lists. These books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, brief reviews, and sometimes external links for more than 15 fiction titles, plus a few non-fiction. Updated June 2007.

Vermeer (Overbooked): Books related to Vermeer and his art. These books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, brief reviews, and sometimes external links for 6 fiction titles and 2 non-fiction. Updated June 2007.

Film in Fiction (Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA): 2-page PDF list. Author, title, pub. year, and summary for about 15 books, from John Blumenthal's What's Wrong With Dorfmann?: A Novel to Stuart Woods' Prince of Beverly Hills. Feb. 2005.

Through the Lens: Novels Featuring Photography and Photographers (AART, Rolling Meadows Library, IL): Author, title, publication year, and page count for 13 novels, from Robert Barnard's Bodies to Robert James Waller's The Bridges of Madison County.

Lives of the Painters (Central Rappahannock Public Library, VA): Author, title, summary, webcat link for about 15 books, from Artemisia by Alexandra Lapierre to The Tears of the Madonna by George Herman.

Struggling Artists in Fiction (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 40 titles, from John Ed Bradley's Restoration to Stephanie Williams' Enter Sandman.

Painting and Artists (Reader's Advice): 'Notable books involving specific famous paintings and/or painters, either historical or set in the present.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 30 titles, from Aliette Armel's Love, the Painter's Wife & the Queen of Sheba to Suzanne M. Wolfe's Unveiling.

Artists in Fiction (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for each of 11 novels featuring art, from The Day Laid on the Altar by Adria Bernardi to Paradise Farm by Brenda Webster, with a list of another 18 books without summaries. Compiled May 2001.

Picture Perfect (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for 'fictional accounts of prominent artists paired with nonfiction overviews of the artists? lives and work,' listed by artist from Audubon to Vermeer. January 2007.

Novels About Paintings (Wilmette Public Library, IL): Author, title, publication year, webcat link, and summary for 8 books, from Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring to Katherine Weber's The Music Lesson. Last revised July 2006.

Novels about Artists (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only (no summaries) for about 35 fictional works about artists. From Portrait of the Artist's Wife by Barbara Anderson to Art and Lies by Jeanette Winterson.

Arts and Artists in Fiction (Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada): Authors and title(s) for about 40 books featuring the arts or artists, from Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye to Niall Williams' Four Letters of Love.

Art in Fiction (Pollard Memorial Library, Lowell, MA): Lists author, title, publication year, and artist for over 20 novels featuring art or artists, from Kate Braverman's The incantation of Frida K. (Frida Kahlo) to Katherine Weber's The music lesson (Vermeer).

Architecture, Architects and Buildings

Architecture in Fiction (Denver Public Library, CO): Author, title, summary, webcat link for about 25 books in which 'the buildings themselves become central characters in a story.' From House of Bones by Dale Bailey to The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. Updated Jan. 2006.

Rented Rooms (Johnson County Library, KS): Fiction set in boarding houses, apartments and hotels. Author, title, summary, webcat link for about 45 novels, from Horatio Alger's The Disagreeable Woman to Thrity Umrigar's Bombay Time.

Fixer-Upper Fiction (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA): Author, title, summary, webcat link for 8 books.

Rooms with a View: Fictional Lodging (Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN): Author and title only for 6 mysteries, about 25 fiction titles, and 2 short story collections. Updated Jan. 2007.

Ghosts and Haunted Houses Bibliography (Berwyn Public Library, IL): Author and title only for a dozen novels, from The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson to Violin by Anne Rice.

Drama, Dramatic Arts, Film, Theatre, Dance, Performance

Death at the Theater: Mysteries with Drama (Waterboro Public Library): Title, publication year, and summary for books by about 100 authors of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels about the theatre, drama, acting, opera, and staged performances.

Fiction Performing Arts Booklist (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, MA): Fiction about music, fine arts, performance arts, and theater. Lists author, title, webcat link, and notation about genre (fantasy, mystery, horror, historical, YA, etc.) for over 125 books, from Lydia Adamson's A cat in the wings to L.M. Vincent's Pas de death.

Books Into Broadway (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, webcat link, pub. year for about 30 books that have been the basis for plays that appeared on Broadway. Updated Feb. 2006.

Theatre Fiction Booklist (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, MA): Author, title, webcat link, and notation about genre (fantasy, mystery, horror, historical, YA, etc.) for about 30 books, from Nobuko Albery's The house of Kanze to Lois Wolfe's Mask of night.

Life upon the Wicked Stage (Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN): 'Fiction in a theatrical setting.' Author and title only for about 20 fiction titles and 10 mysteries. Updated Jan. 2007.

The Bard in Books: Fiction featuring Shakespeare or his plays (Johnson County Library, KS): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for almost 50 books (mysteries and sci-fi noted), from Simon Brett's Sicken and So Die to James Yaffe's Mom Doth Murder Sleep.

Hollywood/Film Stars Booklist (Overbooked): Fiction about Hollywood and the motion picture industy. These books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, brief reviews for about 25 fiction titles. Updated Feb. 2007.

Motion Picture Industry (Auburn Hills Public Library, MI): 'Tales of Tinseltown.' Author and title only for about 60 books, from Sara Faith Alterman's My 15 Minutes to Irene Zutell's They're Not Your Friends. Updated Feb. 2007.

Circus, Carnival, Amusement Park, Fair

Circus Booklist - Fiction (Overbooked): 'Books about the circus and circus life, carnivals and freak shows. All genres are included as well as a titles for adults and teens.' Most of these books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, brief reviews, and sometimes external links for 16 fiction titles, plus author and title for about 25 more. Updated Feb. 2007.

The Greatest Show on Earth: Fiction about carnivals and circuses (Johnson County Library, KS): Author, title, webcat link, summary, and notation for subgenres for more than 40 books, from Kevin Baker's Dreamland to Luisa Valenzuela's Clara.

Meet Me at the Fair (Springfield-Greene County Library, MO): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 10 novels set at the fair.

Circus Books (Mary Rindfleisch, Fiction-L): Author/title for about 50 novels. Compiled Aug. 1999.

Amusement and Theme Parks - Fiction (Overbooked): 'Books set in or featuring amusement parks or theme parks.' Most of these books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, brief reviews for about 20 fiction titles and 4 non-fiction titles. Updated Feb. 2007.

Magic, Magicians, Enchantment

Magic and Magicians Booklist (Overbooked): Author, title, publication info, summaries for about 15 novels about magic, magicians, from The Hummingbird Wizard by Meredith Blevins to The Perfect Play by Louise Wener. Updated Feb. 2007.

Books with Good Witches (Adam S. Davis, Fiction-L): Compiled Feb. 2005. Author and title listed for about 25 fiction titles and series featuring good witches, with genre if applicable noted. Also a handful of similar for teens/children.

Books Made Into Movies / Based on the Book

Internet Movie Database: Date Sorted: Movie name and date, with link to IMDB details for each movie. Thousands of movies listed. Sortable by title and IMDB ranking, too.

Based on the Book (Mid-Continent Public Library, MO): A compilation of over 1,200 book titles, short stories, and plays that have been made into motion pictures. Utilizing the Internet Movie Database as the authority on release dates, all movies in this collection have been released since 1980. View by Movie Title, Movie Release Year, Book Title, or Book Author.

Books Into Film and TV (Christchurch City Libraries, NZ): Huge resource. Movie and book title, and webcat link to book, for hundreds (maybe thousands) of films and TV movies made from books, listed alphabetically by movie title. For movies just recently released, there's Read the Book - then see the film, which lists another 75 or so.

You've Seen the Movie, Now Read the Book, 1986-1996 (Madison Public Library, WI): Listed in alphabetical order by movie title, includes release date of movie and book title and author. From Accidental Tourist to The Witches Of Eastwick. Also see their list of You've Seen the Movie, Now Read the Book, 1997-2004.

You've Seen the Movie ... Now Read the Book! (Lincoln City Libraries, NE): Winners of Academy Awards (Oscar winners) for best picture that are based on novels, plays and short stories. Listed in chronological order of Oscar win. Name of film, name of book if different, year of film, publication year of book, number of Oscar wins, author of book, and webcat links for most. From All Quiet on the Western Front (1928/1930) to Million Dollar Baby: Stories From the Corner (2000/2004).

Books Made Into Movies (Edmondton Public Library, Canada): Author, movie/book title, catalog link for books made into movies in these categories: Now Playing and Coming Attractions; Action and Adventure; Classics; Comedies; Courtroom; Drama; Family; Fantasy; Historical; Horror; Mystery and Suspense; Reality-Based; Romance; Science Fiction; Shakespeare; War; Westerns.

No, But I Saw the Movie (Wake County Public Libraries, NC): Nonfiction books made into movies. Author, title, one-line summary, webcat link for about a dozen books made into movies, from Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissing to Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War by Anthony Swofford.

Reel Good Reads: From Print to Film (Central Rappahannock Public Library, VA): Author, title, summary, webcat link for 24 books made into film, from A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar to The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger. Suitable for teens.

Read the Book / View the Movie (Marin County Free Library, CA): List of 16 pairs of books/movies, with webcat links for most, from About a Boy (written by Nick Hornby; directed by Chris Weitz) to Tuck Everlasting (written by Natalie Babbitt; directed by Jay Russell). Suitable for teens.

Books Made Into Movies (Oxford County Library, Ingersoll, Ontario): Lists movie/book titles and author only. Hundreds listed.

YA: Books Made Into Movies (Plymouth District Libraries, MI): Title, author, summary, and webcat link for almost 30 popular teen books made into movies, from Jane Austen's Emma (movies: 'Clueless' and 'Emma') to JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit (movie: 'The Hobbit').

YA Books Made to Movies (Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library, NY) : Author and book title for about 100 YA books that have been made into movies, from Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt to The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings.

YA: Books Made Into Movies (Skokie Public Library, IL): Author and book/movie title for about 45 books that have been made into movies, listed by book title, from Alias Madame Doubtfire (Mrs. Doubtfire) to White Fang.

War Epics That Inspired Movies (Hamilton Public Library, Ontario, Canada): Authors, titles, summaries, webcatalog links for 10 books. Compiled Nov. 2005.

Music and Musical Arts

Music Fiction/ Music in Literature (John R. Gibbs, Univ. of Washington Libraries): 'A Bibliography of Musical Fiction.' Author, title, publication info for about 875 novels, from Paul Adam's The Rinaldi quartet to Louis Zukofsky's Little.

Music in English Detective Fiction (Philip L Scowcroft, MusicWeb UK): Excellent, narrative listing and discussion of British crime novels published from about 1900-1980 that feature classical music, opera, orchestras, musical instruments, etc. Extensive.

Musical Novels (University of Mannheim English Studies Information Server): Author, title, summary for almost 20 novels, from The Loser (Der Untergeher) by Thomas Bernhard to The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West.

Summer Fiction for String Players (Strings Magazine): Author, title, summaries (in narrative format) for 16 novels and mysteries involving stringed instruments, from Body and Soul by Frank Conroy to A Samba for Sherlock by Jo Soares. Compiled summer 1999.

Music in Fiction (Westmount Public Library, Quebec): 2-page PDF file. Author, title, publication year, and summary for almost 20 books (some in French, some in English), from Stephanie Cowell's Marrying Mozart to Rose Tremain's Music & Silence. Most published 2000-2005. Compiled Feb. 2006.

Fiction Music Booklist (Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, MA): Author, title, webcat link, and notation about genre (fantasy, mystery, horror, historical, YA, etc.) for over 95 books.

Music Hath Charms: Fiction Featuring Music and Musicians (Johnson County Library, KS): Authors, titles, and webcat links for about 65 books, from Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues to Niall Williams' As It is in Heaven.

Musical Fiction (Silas Bronson Library, Waterbury, CT): 2-page PDF. Author, title, and publication year for about 45 novels about composers, musicians, singers, various kinds of music, teachers and students, etc. Compiled Oct. 2005.

Musical Fiction (Halton Hills Public Library -- Georgetown, Ontario, CAN) : Books with a musical theme. Authors and titles only, with catalog links. About 100 books listed, from Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues to Donald Westlake's Baby, Would I Lie?

Music in Fiction (Williamsburg Public Library, Virginia): Lists author and title of over 70 fiction books and almost 30 mysteries featuring music. From Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues to Donald Westlake's Baby, Would I Lie?. Compiled Sept. 1999.

The Music of Words: Novels with a Musical Theme (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for about 40 fictional works featuring music. From Bluestown by Geoffrey Becker to Deceptive Cadence by Eugenia Zukerman. Compiled July 1997.

Rock and Roll Novels (The Bomp Bookshelf): This is Part I (through 1998) of a two-part list. Author, title, page count, publication year, Amazon link and summary for about 90 short story anthologies and novels about rock music, published from 1964-1998, in reverse publication order. Part II (1999 - 2004) is here, with about 55 books.

Rock and Roll Fiction (Springfield Library, Springfield, MA): Author, title, summary for more than 15 novels, from Where is Joe Merchant? by Jimmy Buffet to The Rich Man's Table by Scott Spencer. Updated May 2006.

Reading Rocks (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for about 15 fictional works featuring music. From We?re So Famous by Jaime Clarke to To Be Someone by Louise Voss. Compiled June 2002.

They're Playing Our Song: Music in Fiction (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for 18 novels, from Tender is LeVine by Andrew Bergman to The Bear Comes Home by Rafi Zabor. Compiled May 2001.

A Night at the Opera (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Opera features in the plots of these books. Author and title only for about 40 novels. From Death and the Chaste Apprentice by Robert Barnard to Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Compiled Sept. 1998.

Music Festival: Jazz, Blues, & Soul: Swing into Fiction (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for about 40 novels, from The Gutbucket Quest by Piers Anthony to The Bear Comes Home by Rafi Zabor. Compiled July 2003.

Jazz: An American Original: Fiction with Jazz Themes (St. Charles Public Library, IL): Author and title only for about 25 novels, from Such Sweet Thunder by Vincent O. Carter to No Matter How Much You Promise to Cook or Pay the Rent You Blew It Cauze Bill Bailey Ain't Never Coming Home Again by Edgardo Vega Yunque, followed by a long list of non-fiction jazz books and recordings. Compiled March 2006.

The Sounds of Music (Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN): Lists author, title, and composer featured for six novels, plus just author and title of about 40 more novels with a musical connection.

Antiques, Collecting, Gems and Jewels, Archaeology

ANTIQUES

Antiques in Fiction (State Library of Tasmania): About 25 books/series listed, with authors, some with summaries, all featuring antiques or collecting. From William Ardin's Plain Dealer to David Treweek's A Close Run Thing.

Fiction about Hobbies: Antiques (Northbrook Public Library, IL) : Title, author, summary for 12 novels, including mysteries.

Antiques and Antique Dealing (Denise Jeffrey, Fiction-L): Author/title for about 20 books/series, as well as a few non-fiction books. Compiled Dec. 1998.

Fiction Featuring Long-Lost Manuscripts and Other Antiquities (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 60 titles, from Paul Adam's The Rainaldi Quartet to Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind. Compiled Oct. 2002, updated Feb. 2007.

Novel Appraisals: Fiction about Antiques and Collectibles (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA): Author, title, summary, webcat link for 7 books. Updated Feb. 2007.

COLLECTIONS AND COLLECTING

Collecting and Collections: Fiction (Jasper County Public Library, IN): Authors and titles only (no summaries) for about 20 novels involving collecting, from The Burglar in the rye by Lawrence Block to Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts.

Collecting Fiction (Diane Giarrusso, Fiction-L): Author/title and objects collected (stamps, baseball cards, books, cars, swords, etc.) for over 40 works of fiction. Compiled Sept. 2001.

Treasure (AART, Rolling Meadows Library, IL): Author, title, publication year, page count, and type of treasure (gold coins, Inca treasure, relics, sunken treasure, etc.) for 13 novels, from L.L. Blackmur's The Circle of Mynnia to David Westheimer's The Avila Gold.

GEMS AND JEWELS

Diamonds and Rubies and Pearls, Oh My! (Lansing PL, IL): 8-page PDF. Author, title, and summary for about 50 novels about gems and jewelry, from The Property of a Lady by Elizabeth Adler to Honolulu Red by Lue Zimmelman. Compiled Oct. 2005, updated March 2006.

Gems and Jewels (AART, Rolling Meadows Library, IL): Fiction about jewelry and precious stones. Author, title, publication year, page count, and jewel featured for 11 novels, from Elizabeth Adler's Property of a Lady to Lue Zimmelman's Honolulu Red. And more of the same, their More Gems and Jewels list, with another 12 titles, from Margot Arnold's Dirge for a Dorset Druid to Donald E. Westlake's Hot Rock.

ARCHAEOLOGY

ARCHAEOLOGY IN FICTION BIBLIOGRAPHY (Anita G. Cohen-Williams): Extensive list organised by author's last name, with author, title, publication data, some info about genre/time period/locale. Sources for bibliography are The Fiction Catalog, Margaret A. Hoyt's Archaeology in Literature: A Semi-Annotated Bibliography (1980), Tasha Mackler's Murder...By Category: A Subject Guide to Mystery Fiction (1991), Everett F. Bleiler's Science-Fiction: The Early Years (1990), and suggestions from ARCH-L (Internet archaeology list) and HISTARCH (historical archaeology list).

Archaeology in Fiction (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH): Author, title, and country of setting listed for about 45 books and series featuring archaeology or archaeologists; some fiction, some science-fiction and fantasy, many mysteries. From Ariadne?s Children by Roderick Beaton to The Prophetess by Barbara Wood.

Nautical Archaeology in Fiction (Noreen Doyle): Author, title, publication year, short description of about 35 works of fiction (including short stories), from Joan Ambrose's Falcon Island to Lois Tilton and Noreen Doyle's 'The Chapter of Coming Forth by Night.' Updated June 2004.