Books in the Oxford Companions series

A one-volume encyclopedia covering all aspects of the Bible - key persons, places, events, concepts, institutions, and realities of biblical times.

With over 2,000 entries, this work provides assessments on almost all aspects of Chaucer. Entries, both short and long, from 'Aaron' to 'Zodiac', provide information on Chaucer's life and times, his works and the characteristics in them, his language and metre, his reading and the creative uses he made of it, and on his moral and literary themes.

A blend of cultural history, facts, practical information, and anecdote, this new companion to food, with a foreward by chef Mario Batali. This shall be the first in a series of food history companions devoted to regional cuisine. Forthcoming titles include French, Southeast Asian, and food of the British Isles.

Presents a collection of articles which provides an overview of the black presence in Britain, and the diverse contribution made to British society. This book is useful for anyone who wants to understand the history of black people in the British Isles.

This Oxford Companion is really an alphabetically-arranged history of modern poetry, as it has developed in the English-speaking world from the beginning of the century until the present. There are entries on some 1800 individual poets, and over 100 subject-entries, covering all the important magazines, movements, literary terms, and concepts.

Written by David Leeming, one of the world's most trusted voices on mythology, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology promises to be a lively non-pedantic yet intellectually sound book that will engage the reader and reveal the extraordinary depth and beauty of the world of myth.

This reference work on Italian literature provides clear, up-to-date assessments of Italy's writers, famous and not so famous, from 1200 to 2000, whether they wrote in Italian, dialect, or Latin, together with vital background information on historical events, regional culture, and the other arts.

Jazz and its colorful, expansive history resonate in this collection of 60 essays specially-commissioned from jazz performers, writers, and scholars. This book features individual biographies of the most memorable characters of this relatively young art form. It provides a quick reference source as well as a broad overview for lovers of jazz.

The Oxford Companion to American Law provides a comprehensive A-Z guide to the main lines of American law, including the institutions, doctrines, concepts, people, events, and cases that have given and continue to give shape to it.

This overview of archaeology is intended for students of archaeology and anthropology.

In the past few years, global change has become increasingly important in the technological, ecological, and political spheres. The Oxford Companion to Global Change examines the environmental events of recent times, and investigates long-term trends as well as broader issues of Global Change. Accessible and essential for any concerned with the planet.

Offering a panoramic view of the history and culture of food and drink in America with fascinating entries on everything from the smell of asparagus to the history of White Castle, and the origin of Bloody Marys to jambalaya, the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink provides a concise, authoritative, and exuberant look at this modern American obsession. Ideal for the food scholar and food enthusiast alike, it is equally appetizing for anyonefascinated by Americana, capturing our culture and history through what we love mostΓÇöfood! Building on the highly praised and deliciously browseable two-volume compendium the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, this new work serves up everything you could ever want to know about American consumables and their impact on popular culture and the culinary world. Within its pages for example, we learn that Lifesavers candy owes its success to the canny marketing idea of placing the original flavor, mint, next to cash registers at bars. Patrons who bought them tomask the smell of alcohol on their breath before heading home soon found they were just as tasty sober and the company began producing other flavors. Edited by Andrew Smith, a writer and lecturer on culinary history, the Companion serves up more than just trivia however, including hundreds of entries on fast food, celebrity chefs, fish, sandwiches, regional and ethnic cuisine, food science, and historical food traditions. It also dispels a few commonly held myths. Veganism, isn''t simply the practice of a few "hippies," but is in fact wide-spread among elite athletic circles. Many of the top competitors in the Ironman andUltramarathon events go even further, avoiding all animal products by following a strictly vegan diet. Anyone hungering to know what our nation has been cooking an eating for the last three centuries should own the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. BL Nearly 1,000 articles on American food and drink, from the curious to the commonplace BL Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of historical photographs and color images BL Includes informative lists of food websites, museums, organizations, and festivals

With over 800 A-Z entries covering writers, individual works, literary periodicals, and general themes, this companion offers information about the writings, the authors, and the preoccupations of the Edwardian era. There are also entries on the themes and genres that emerged during this era.

A storehouse of useful, interesting, and curious knowledge about time and its reckoning, based on the premise that every day is memorable. The book is in two parts: an authoritative survey of the calendar year, and a section on the measurement of time and the calculation of movable feasts. It is illustrated with 16 pages of black-and-white plates.

JMW Turner is acknowledged not only as Britain's greatest painter, but as one of the finest of all landscape painters. This is a guide to every aspect of Turner's life, his art, his reception, and the cultural, social, and political context in which he worked.

This text is a one-volume, alphabetically-arranged encyclopedia offering comprehensive coverage of US history from pre-contact Native Americans to the end of the 20th century.

This is an updated edition of Hart's famous Companion. Hart died in 1990. The experienced reference book editor Philip Leininger has completed the revisions. There are nearly 200 new entries, plus many more entries that have been brought up to date. This represents a substantial revision of the book.

The Oxford Companion to the American Musical is an engaging and authoritative reference for this highly popular genre, covering Broadway, Hollywood, and television in one volume. With more than two thousand entries, this book offers a wealth of information on musicals, performers, composers, lyricists, producers, choreographers, and much more.

This reference is for anyone concerned with children's books. Over 900 biographical entries deal with authors, illustrators, publishers, educationalists and others who have influenced the development of children's literature, providing plot summaries, character sketches and historical background.

The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets is the most ambitious and eclectic reference work of its kind, a sweeping collection of nearly 600 entries on all things sweet, written by 265 expert contributors.

This new edition of The Oxford Companion to Music is a comprehensive and authoritative reference work, which, like its famous predecessors, will be invaluable to both professional and amateur musicians, and general music lovers. A distinguished and international team of contributors covers a broad sweep of musical subjects, ranging from composers and performers to instruments and genres.

Published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of his death, this detailed, scholarly, and lively Companion provides unprecedented insight into the life, times, and music of one of the great composers of the classical era, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809).

This Companion brings together a wealth of information about the perennially fascinating lives and writings of the Bronte sisters. In addition, wide-ranging articles enable the reader to see them in their literary and social context, and to trace their enduring influence on the work of other writers.

In over 1,000 entries, this acclaimed Companion covers all aspects of the Western fairy tale tradition, from medieval to modern. It provides an authoritative reference source for this complex and captivating genre, exploring the tales themselves, the writers who wrote and reworked them, the artists who illustrated them, and much more.

This authoritative A to Z features over 700 entries on all aspects of life in Ancient Greece and Rome. Beautiful illustrations, jargon-free entries, and a useful chronology and bibliography make this Companion the perfect guide for readers interested in learning more about the Graeco-Roman world.

Offering a major update to the classic companion to the US Supreme Court, this new edition provides a comprehensive and accessible guide to the most important judicial body in America. Whether you are looking for a clear introduction or an authoritative reference point, the Oxford Companion will prove an invaluable aide to your research needs.

This edition of the classic reference has been thoroughly revised and updated, offering unrivalled coverage of English literature. It continues to offer detailed and authoritative information on authors and works, alongside extended coverage of popular literary genres, as well as of the themes and concepts encountered by students.

Presents a philosophical reference work. In this edition, an international assembly of 249 philosophers has contributed almost 2,000 entries. It offers discussions of the aspects of philosophy, and of the lives and work of the great philosophers. It is meant as an introduction for general readers and as a guide for students.