"The authorized, updated, and comprehensive catalogue of characters, themes, phrasing, and imagery found in Kurt Vonnegut's beloved work. Vonnegut's five decades of writing yielded many worlds-worth of people, places, and things. This book is an invaluable tool for looking up the marvelous facts that exist only in the pages his work. The Encyclopedia identifies every major or minor Vonnegut character, as well as recurring images and significant themes from all of Vonnegut's books and short stories, including his essay collections. Editor Marc Leeds provides italicized notes explaining the significance of many items, but relies primarily on extended quotations from Vonnegut himself. This is a vital reference source for both fans and scholars of the great American writer"--