Social sciences

‘There is no better single-volume compilation for an up-to-date, readable and authoritative source of definitions, summaries and references’ – A. H. Halsey, University of Oxford

Over 2,000 entries

A consistent best-seller, this wide-ranging and authoritative dictionary covers terminology, concepts, and thinkers in the field of sociology, as well as from the related fields of psychology, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and political science.

For this fourth edition, Professor John Scott has conducted a thorough review of all entries to ensure that they are concise, focused, and up to date. Revisions reflect current intellectual debates and social conditions, particularly in relation to global and multi-cultural issues. New entries by a range of expert contributors cover relevant contemporary concepts, such as climate change, social media, terrorism, and intersectionality, as well as key living sociologists.

An invaluable introduction to sociology for beginners, and an essential source of reference for more advanced students and teachers.

This is the brand new Dictionary of Sports Studies. It contains over 1,100 clear, concise, and authoritative entries compiled by Professor Alan Tomlinson, a leading expert in the field. Wide-ranging coverage includes the social, political, economical, and cultural theory of sport, as well as entries relating to exercise, preparation, and performance psychology, and key scientific terms, including nutrition and anatomy. It also features biographies of key sportspeople, information on international organizations and institutions, and detailed appendices with lists of sporting events and winners, including the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. In addition, there are recommended web links for many entries.

Addressing the need for an A-Z reference guide in the field of sports studies, this dictionary is essential reading for students of sports studies and the related disciplines of leisure and recreation studies, sports science, and physical education. It is also ideal for the general reader with an interest in sport.

Over 250 entries

This new Supplementary Dictionary of Sports Personalities contains biographical information on famous individuals from the world of sports. Spanning a wide range of sporting disciplines, including cricket, football, javelin, boxing, and bullfighting, this A–Z provides all the information you need on notable sportsmen and women such as Blanche Bingley, Brian Howard Clough, Mervyn Davies, José Gómez Ortega, Flo Hymann, Andy Irons, Jean Réné Lacoste, Sócrates, and many more.

For this online Supplementary Dictionary, 200 entries were taken from the Oxford Companion to Sports and Games (published 1975), edited by the late John Arlott. These entries were revised and updated by Stuart George, who also wrote over 60 new entries for this A-Z. The Dictionary only includes biographies of deceased sports personalities and supplements the biographical coverage in the existing sports-related content on Oxford Reference.

Over 150 entries

These entries clearly define and describe essential terms relating to the academic area of transport studies. This primarily includes technical vocabulary from the field, and not terms in everyday use. The entries range from active traffic management and carbon offsetting to social network theory, travel ethnography, and weaving capacity.

Over 6,500 entries

Provides over 6,500 definitions of travel and tourism terminology, including the operating language of the travel industry, acronyms of organizations, associations, and trade bodies, IT terms, and brand names. Completely up to date, this dictionary covers the implications of web technology and social media on the travel and tourism industry, as well as new products and services, such as e-tickets, home-based travel agents, awareness amongst consumers and within the industry of terror-threatened travel, recent changes in legislation, and environmental concerns.

Useful appendices include the World Tourism Organization Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, the recommended tourism syllabus content for Higher Education courses worldwide, and a list of the EC Neutral Computerized Reservation System Rules. Providing a wealth of information on one of the fastest-growing global industries of the 21st century, this dictionary is the ideal point of reference for students taking travel, tourism, and hospitality courses, as well as professionals working within these areas.

This is the ultimate resource for authoritative information on the American Presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court.

Compiled by three leading scholars, it contains the key figures, events, and structures that have animated U.S. government for more than 200 years. In addition to coverage of the 2000 Presidential race and election, it features biographies of all the Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Supreme Court Justices, as well as notable members of Congress, including current leadership; historical commentary on past elections, major Presidential decisions, international and domestic programs, and the key advisors and agencies of the executive branch; in-depth analysis of Congressional leadership and committees, agencies and staff, and historic legislation; and detailed discussions of 100 landmark Supreme Court cases and the major issues facing the Court today. Other entries define legal terms and phrases and elaborate on the wide array of government traditions.

A quick reference guide to national flags

This title now includes over 775 maps, with locator, physical and political maps for each country, over 120 island maps, state maps for North America, Canada, and Mexico, and more than 100 city maps.

Since Plato first coined the term 'mythologia', mythology has come to hold greater significance and power as a crucial element of civilization as a whole. Written by a leading scholar of ancient civilizations, A Dictionary of World Mythology presents the powerful gods of Greece, Rome, and Scandinavia, the more mystical deities of Buddhist and Hindu India, and the stern spirits of the African and American continents. Drawing upon hundreds of myths from around the globe, it not only reveals the vast differences in these civilizations, but also demonstrates the unity of mankind in its fundamental need for explanations of the unknown.

Over 10 500 entries

This dictionary explores the history, meanings, and origin of place names around the world. It covers countries, regions, islands, cities, and towns, giving the name in the local language, as well as key historical facts associated with many place names.

In addition to the entries themselves, the dictionary includes a glossary of foreign word elements which appear in place names and their meanings, and a list of personalities and leaders from all over the world who have influenced the naming of places.