The list will provide the publisher information you need to complete your citation. Some reference books are like encyclopedias, they actually contain the information you seek and you need go no further. Start by using general literature resources which provide an abundance of background material to introduce you and your reader to your literary topic. Some books compile excerpts from other resources and make them available in one place. The orginial source is always cited and becomes part of your citation.
Some reference books are indexes that contain citations to original sources.
For literary research these reference books may be the only way to locate obscure information about an author's work. Indexing sources may cite books or journal articles.