This book is a source of quick reference containing basic and up-to-date information on the poet's life, her art, the manuscripts, and the current state of Dickinson scholarship in general. For ease of use, individual essays have been structured as follows:

Each essay provides a historical overview of the relevant issues under scrutiny.
The essays offer detailed discussions of important aspects pertaining of the fields in question.
Unlike encyclopedic entries, each of the several essays reflects the authors own perspective, presenting a distinct point of view, at times a controversial one.