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From the pharaohs to Frantz Fanon, Dictionary of African Biography provides a comprehensive overview of the lives of the men and women who shaped Africa’s history. Unprecedented in scale, DAB covers the whole continent from Tunisia to South Africa, from Sierra Leone to Somalia. It also encompasses the full scope of history from Queen Hatsheput of Egypt (1490–1468 BCE) and Hannibal, the military commander and strategist of Carthage (243–183 BCE), to Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana (1909–1972), Miriam Makeba, and Nelson Mandela of South Africa (b. 1918). Subjects are drawn from all walks of life, including philosophers, politicians, activists, entertainers, scholars, poets, scientists, religious figures, kings, and everyday people.

“More current than its closest rival in size....This is a ‘buy’. ” — Booklist STARRED REVIEW

As Oxford's flagship American dictionary, the New Oxford American Dictionary sets the standard of excellence for lexicography in this country. With more than 350,000 words, phrases, and senses, and hundreds of explanatory notes, this dictionary provides the most comprehensive and accurate coverage of American English available.

The dictionary draws on the two-billion-word Oxford English Corpus and the unrivaled citation files of the world-renowned Oxford English Dictionary to provide the most accurate and richly descriptive picture of American English ever offered in any dictionary. The Third Edition offers a thoroughly updated text, with revisions throughout and approximately 2,000 new words, phrases, and meanings. Many new words relate to fast-moving areas such as computing, technology, current affairs, and ecology, while others have recently entered the popular lexicon. Usage notes have been updated in light of the most recent Corpus evidence.

One of the hallmarks of the New Oxford American Dictionary is the way it reflects the living language. Unlike in more traditional dictionaries, where meanings are ordered chronologically according to the history of the language, each entry plainly shows the principal meaning or meanings of the word, organized by importance in today's English. Thus readers can be confident that the first definition they see is the one most likely to be used by people today, and is not a sense that has been obsolete for two centuries.

Offering clear, authoritative, and precise information, with the in-depth and up-to-date coverage that users need and expect, the New Oxford American Dictionary is the benchmark by which all other American dictionaries are measured.

This critically acclaimed biographical dictionary of American economists offers in-depth biographies of the most important economic figures in American history from the seventeenth century to the present day. All of the major schools of American economic thought are represented, from the Constitutional school to the Keynesian school, and the dictionary includes in-depth coverage of the many overlooked women who have influenced economic thought in America. Individually, the entries capture important contributions to the development of economic thought in America; collectively, they encapsulate the rich diversity of that thought and the influences that have been at play on America economic thinking over four centuries. The Biographical Dictionary of American Economists is an essential reference source for anyone interested in the history of economics and American intellectual history.

A joint effort between Oxford University Press and the renowned American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), this comprehensive work analyzes the archaeological and linguistic data that pertain to the broad cultural milieu of the ancient Near East, the crossroads of three of the world's most influential religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ranging from prehistoric times up to the early centuries of the rise of Islam, the work covers the civilizations of Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, Arabia, Cyprus, Egypt, and the coastal regions of North and East Africa.

With 1,100 entries written by 560 contributors from more than two dozen countries, the scope of the encyclopedia is wide and provides a full range of perspectives and approaches to archaeological endeavors. Articles span from Bahrain to Libraries and Archives to Ziggurats and offer cultural, historical, and religious perspectives to a wide range of topics of interest to both scholars and lay people.

‘an essential reference tool for any archaeologist’ - Professor Mick Aston

With over 4,000 entries covering the essential vocabulary for everyday archaeological work in the English language, this up-to-date dictionary is the most wide-ranging and comprehensive of its kind. There is coverage of principles, theories, techniques, artefacts, materials, people, places, monuments, equipment, and descriptive terms - from amphora to ziggurat, and Beaker Culture to molluscan analysis.

The dictionary focuses especially on Europe, the Old World, and the Americas, and covers legislation relating to the United Kingdom and the USA. The archaeology of a selection of key sites from around the world is also described.

Written by a leading authority, the dictionary's detailed but clear entries provide an essential reference source for students, teachers, professionals, and enthusiasts alike.

New to this edition are recommended web links for over 100 entries.

The Oxford Companion to Architecture is a new reference book on a popular and much-debated subject. It contains over 1500 A-Z entries covering all aspects of architecture, from architects, building types, and movements and styles to materials, aspects of design, and definitions. It is particularly strong in its coverage of architecture around the world, and of modern and vernacular architecture. The Companion is strongly rooted in an approach to architecture that looks at its social, technical, and practical aspects, as well as viewing it from an art-historical perspective.

With high-quality illustrations to complement and enhance the text, and a bibliographic essay, the Companion is an invaluable reference resource for architects, designers, teachers and students of architecture and architectural history at high school and college level, and the general reader interested in architecture.

It has been written by a team of over 150 contributors, including many distinguished architects and academics, under the editorship of Dr Patrick Goode and two consultant editors, Stanford Anderson and Sir Colin St John Wilson.

Over 4,000 entries

This dictionary is a key reference for those who need familiarity with—and comprehensive knowledge of—Australian legal terms. Designed specifically for students, it uses clear and concise language and explores the terms encountered in everyday practice, focusing on core legal knowledge and practice areas. Written, reviewed, and edited by legal experts, this edition features new terms relating to taxation, business law, and company law and has been updated to include relevant cases and legislation.

Over 4,700 entries

The Benezit Dictionary of Asian Artists consists of more than 4,700 entries on Asian artists representing all regions of the continent, including the Middle East, and every era from antiquity to the present. The content is drawn from the most recent edition of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists (Editions Gründ, 2006), supplemented by fifty new entries on contemporary artists commissioned for this publication and over one hundred updated biographies.

Although most of the articles are on East Asian artists, primarily from China and Japan, the overall geographic and chronological scope is considerable, representing artists throughout the continent, and from ancient periods into the 21st century. This dictionary provides a compact, accessible collection of entries on Asian artists from ukiyo-e printmaker Hiroshige to Indian cubist painter Maqbool Fida Husain to Jin Dynasty painter Gu Kaizhi to Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. The artists specialize in a wide range of media, from calligraphy to performance art.

Entries provide concise narratives of artists’ careers, and many include bibliographies, exhibition histories, collection holdings, or auction records; additional entries are illustrated with images of artists’ signatures.

Over 3,200 entries

The Benezit Dictionary of British Graphic Artists and Illustrators features over three thousand entries on British artists, ranging from contemporary cartoonists to medieval manuscript illuminators. The majority of the content was chosen from the most recent edition of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists (Editions Gründ, 2006), with more than ninety revised entries and sixty new ones, primarily on 19th- and 20th-century artists.

This work provides a compact, accessible collection of entries on printmakers, poster artists, illustrators, cartoonists, calligraphers, and illuminators either native to or active in the United Kingdom from the Middle Ages to the present. The Dictionary is therefore an essential reference for the rich history of British printmaking—both fine art prints as well as works for mass print media—and artistic activities related to the production of manuscripts and printed books. Because of Benezit’s focus on European artists, particularly those active in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, this collection provides excellent coverage of these media during their most significant periods of development.

Entries provide concise narratives of artists’ careers, and many include bibliographies, exhibition histories, collection holdings, or auction records; over 200 entries feature images of artists’ signatures and monograms.

Over 130 entries

This publication, the first of its kind since 1898, represents the work of more than one hundred internationally recognized experts from nearly a dozen countries. It has been designed to satisfy the growing thirst of students, researchers, professionals, and general readers for knowledge about China. It makes the entire span of Chinese history manageable by introducing the reader to emperors, politicians, poets, writers, artists, scientists, explorers, and philosophers who have shaped and transformed China over the course of five thousand years. In 135 entries, ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 words and written by some of the world's leading China scholars, the Dictionary takes the reader from the important (even if possibly mythological) figures of ancient China to Communist leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The in-depth essays provide rich historical context, and create a compelling narrative that weaves abstract concepts and disparate events into a coherent story. Cross-references between the articles show the connections between times, places, movements, events, and individuals.

The work features a range of appendices, including a timeline of key events, a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, lists of rulers and other prominent people, and other supplemental materials for students of Chinese history and culture.

Over 100 entries

The fourth volume of the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography covers the years 1979-2015, providing a riveting new way to understand twenty-first-century China and a personal look at the changes that have taken place since the Reform and Opening Up era started in 1979. One hundred key individuals from this period were selected by an international group of experts, and the stories were written by more than 70 authors in 14 countries. The authors map the paths taken by these individuals-some rocky, some meandering, some fateful-and in telling their stories give contemporary Chinese history a human face. The editors have included – with the advice of myriad experts around the world – not only the life stories of politicians and government officials, who play a crucial role in the development of the country, but the stories of cultural figures including film directors, activists, writers, and entrepreneurs from the mainland China, Hong Kong, and also from Taiwan.

The "Greater China" that comes through in this volume has diverse ideas and identities. It is often contradictory, sometimes fractious, and always full of creative human complexity. Some of the lives rendered here are heroic. Some are tragic, and many are inspirational. Some figures come in for trenchant criticism, and others are celebrated with a sense of wonder and awe. Like previous volumes of the Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography, this volume includes a range of appendices, including a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, and a timeline of key events.

The work features a range of appendices, including a timeline of key events, a pronunciation guide, a bibliography, lists of rulers and other prominent people, and other supplemental materials for students of Chinese history and culture.

2006 ALA/RUSA Outstanding Reference Source

2005Booklist Editor's Choice

2005 Choice Outstanding Academic Title

The second edition of Black Women in America, edited by Darlene Clark Hine, provides expanded coverage of the achievements and contributions of African American women.

Winner of the Dartmouth Medal for Outstanding Reference Publication of 1994, the first edition of Black Women in America broke new ground—pulling together for the first time all of the research in this vast but underrepresented field to provide one of the strongest building blocks of Black Women’s Studies. Hailed by Eric Foner of Columbia University as “one of those publishing events which changes the way we look at a field,” it simultaneously filled a void in the literature and sparked new research and concepts regarding African American women in history. Since the first edition was published, a new generation of American black women has flourished, demanding this landmark reference be brought up to date. Women such as Venus and Serena Williams, Condoleezza Rice, Carol Moseley Braun, Ruth Simmons, and Ann Fudge have become household names for their remarkable contributions to sports, politics, academia, and business. In nearly 600 entries, Black Women in America celebrates the remarkable achievements of black women throughout history, highlights their ongoing contributions in America today, and represents the new research the first edition helped to generate.

‘Provides a global approach to the world of the book and is, in every way, a monumental achievement’ – CHOICE

The Oxford Companion to the Book is a unique work of reference, covering the book, broadly conceived, throughout the world from ancient to modern times. It includes traditional subjects such as bibliography, palaeography, the history of printing, editorial theory and practice, textual criticism, book collecting, and libraries, but it also engages with newer disciplines such as the history of the book and the electronic book. It pays particular attention to how different societies shape books and how books shape societies.

The work includes a substantial series of introductory essays alongside an A-Z section of over 5,000 entries, all linked by thorough cross-referencing and served by a classified index of entries.

The essays provide histories of the subject ranging from writing systems, the ancient and the medieval book, through central aspects of book production, to editorial theory and textual criticism, the economics of print, and the sacred book, as well as 29 surveys of the history of the book around the world, including the Muslim world, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa (these can be found under ‘Essay’).

The entries cover every aspect of this exceptionally rich and diverse subject, ranging from brief definitions and biographical entries to more extensive treatments. The text is illustrated throughout with reproductions, diagrams, and examples of various typographical features.

The Companion is the only reference book of its kind in the field, and has been written by 400 of the world’s best scholars in bibliography and book history.

Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. As Susie Dent explains in the foreword, Brewer’s “is not a straightforward dictionary, nor is it an encyclopaedia. It is, in fact, unlike any other reference book that exists, anywhere.” This nineteenth edition encapsulates all the charm and wit that characterise its predecessors and maintains the standards of scholarship and eclecticism that have long been its hallmark.

Thoroughly updated with over 100 new and revised entries – think crowdsourcing, cyberpunk, iPad and mash-up – this unique resource is guaranteed to delight, entertain and inspire in the best Brewer’s tradition. Discover Brewer’s take on angels, heraldry, pub signs and recluses, and delve into the lexicographical world of the eggcorn. Whether you are a committed Brewerphile or a newcomer to its pages of fascinating entries, this edition will draw you in and keep you glued to its rich mix of eccentric nuggets.

This dictionary features broad-ranging entries on the history and doctrines of the major Buddhist schools, information on the spread of Buddhism in Asia and the West, and coverage of issues of contemporary concern such as human rights, abortion, euthanasia, ‘engaged Buddhism’, and the role of women in Buddhist teachings.

1991 Reference Reviews Best Specialist Reference Work

1992 Choice Outstanding Academic Book

With more than 5,000 entries by an international group of eminent historians, this is the standard research tool on 1,100 years of Byzantine history. Exhaustive in its coverage, entries on patriarchy and emperors coexist with entries on surgery, musical instruments, and the baking of bread, bringing to life this vastly important culture and empire, from the 4th century to the 15th.

A comprehensive and accessible survey of the whole of Celtic mythology, legend, saga, and folklore. It covers the people, themes, concepts, places, and creatures of Celtic mythology, from both ancient and modern traditions, in 4,000 entries ranging from brief definitions to short essays.

Over 3,200 entries

This dictionary provides definitions and explanations for chemical engineering terms in areas including: materials, energy balances, reactions, separations, sustainability, safety, and ethics. Comprehensively cross-referenced and complemented by over 60 line drawings, this dictionary is the most authoritative of its kind. It also covers many pertinent terms from the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics.

‘“No home should be without one” certainly applies to this splendid medical dictionary’ – Journal of the Institute of Health Education

Over 12,500 entries

This bestselling and market-leading dictionary covers all aspects of medical science and terminology. Written by a team of medical experts, it has been fully revised and updated for this new edition to reflect the latest in medical knowledge and practice. Accessible entries are complemented by over 150 illustrations. The 10th edition includes over 250 new entries and features up-to-date coverage of public health medicine and general practice, drugs and pharmacology, endocrinology, cardiology, and radiology, among other specialist areas. Recommended web links are provided for many entries, and a list of entries by subject has been added to aid navigation.

Selling over a million copies in previous editions, this is an essential A–Z for students and those working in the medical and allied professions, including nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, social workers, hospital administrators, and medical secretaries. It is also an invaluable home reference guide for the general reader.

Over 3,250 entries

The third edition of this dictionary is an authoritative and invaluable reference source covering every aspect of its wide-ranging field. It spans grammar, phonetics, semantics, languages (spoken and written), dialects, and sociolinguistics. Clear examples—and diagrams where appropriate—help to convey the meanings of even the most technical terms. It also incorporates entries on key scholars of linguistics, both ancient and modern, summarising their specialisms and achievements.

With existing entries thoroughly revised and updated, and the addition of 100 new entries, this new edition expands its coverage of semantics, as well as recently emerging terminology within, for example, syntactic theory and sociolinguistics.

Wide-ranging and with clear definitions, it is the ideal reference for students and teachers in language-related courses, and a great introduction to linguistics for the general reader with an interest in language and its study.

Over 3,000 entries

Authoritative and reliable, this A–Z reference work provides jargon-free definitions for even the most technical mathematical terms. With entries ranging from Achilles paradox to zero matrix, it covers all commonly encountered terms and concepts from pure and applied mathematics and statistics, for example, linear algebra, optimisation, nonlinear equations, and differential equations. In addition, there are entries on major mathematicians and on topics of more general interest, such as fractals, game theory, and chaos.

Almost 200 new entries have been added to this edition, including terms such as arrow paradox, nested set, and symbolic logic. Useful appendices complement the A–Z dictionary and include lists of Greek letters, formulae, and tables of inequalities, moments of inertia, Roman numerals, a geometry summary, trigonometric values of special angles, probability distributions, and many more.

Over 1,700 entries

Written by a leading team of political scientists, this dictionary embraces the multi-disciplinary spectrum of political theory including political thinkers, history, institutions, theories, and schools of thought, as well as notable current affairs that have shaped attitudes to politics.

Fully updated for its fourth edition, it has had its coverage of international relations heavily revised and expanded, reflected in its title change, and it includes a wealth of new material in areas such as international institutions, peace building, human security, security studies, global governance, and open economy politics.

The dictionary is international in its coverage and will prove invaluable to students and academics studying politics and related disciplines, as well as politicians, journalists, and the general reader seeking clarification of political terms.

Over 6,000 entries

Based on the highly acclaimed Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, this is an indispensable guide for both students and the general reader. It provides authoritative coverage of theology, patristic scholarship, churches and denominations across the world, canon law, and the church calendar, as well as entries on theologians, philosophers, artists, musicians, and mystics.

The third edition has been updated to reflect recent changes in the Church. Over 100 new entries cover topics such as the Antonian Movement, dispensationalism, Heilsgeschichte, Alvin Plantinga, Garima Gospels, and Intelligent Design. It also includes a new appendix listing the Archbishops of Canterbury and a list of recommended web links.

Winner of the 2005 Annual Book Award at the American Association of Sexuality Educators Counselors and Therapists.

This comprehensive scholarly reference work provides authoritative coverage of the full range of topics in the study of human sexual behavior throughout the world. The Encyclopedia brings together an international team of 200 leading sexologists to provide complete view of the field. Entries represent the highest quality of scholarship, but are written in a manner accessible to student and non-specialist readers. They include full bibliographies to aid further research. A range of topics is explored including gender-conflicted persons, unconventional sexual patterns, contraception, AIDS, sexual dysfunctions, and therapies, and the work features 62 in-depth country overviews.

This is the first comprehensive reference work devoted to philosophy in Britain. In addition to biographical entries on the lives and works of individual thinkers, it incorporates major historical surveys of the core philosophical topics, mini factual entries to facilitate reference, and detailed entries on themes, movements, institutions, journals, influences and theories through the ages. The Encyclopedia brings together 2,500 entries contributed by over 500 international experts. It is a unique resource for students and specialists to tap into the development and transmission of philosophical ideas over time, across disciplines, and to and from other countries.

The Encyclopedia employs a broad construal of “philosophy” in line with historical usage, making it a source of continuities, connections and paths for future inquiry. It is a highly important database for teaching and research in philosophy, as well as in history, science, literature, religion, politics, psychology, sociology and economics.

The Oxford Companion to Cosmology is a comprehensive, yet highly accessible, encyclopedic overview of this enduringly popular subject. Its 350+ in-depth entries - ranging from cosmic inflation and dark energy to Higgs boson and neutrinos - both illuminate the ideas behind the current understanding of the universe and outline the fundamental physics from which those ideas emerge. Subjects covered include the structure of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, galaxy clusters, and cold dark matter. It deals with both theoretical ideas, such as alternative cosmologies, as well as the various types of observational evidence, including redshift surveys and cosmic microwave background radiation. Appearing at a time when there is a growing consensus about the origins and development of the universe, centred on the hot Big Bang and the emerging Standard Cosmological Model, it offers an introductory overview of this fundamental issue that brings the reader up to date on current thinking.

Extensive cross-referencing and a glossary allow the reader to unravel the ideas behind the terminology, while selected illustrations bring the subject to life. Entry-level web links direct the reader to recommended online resources. Written by established experts in theoretical and observational cosmology, the Companion is an invaluable and authoritative reference resource for students, teachers, science writers, and anyone with a serious interest in cosmology.

This is the most wide-ranging and up-to-date dictionary of critical theory available, covering the whole range of critical theory, including the Frankfurt school, cultural materialism, gender studies, literary theory, hermeneutics, historical materialism, and sociopolitical critical theory. Entries clearly explain even the most complex of theoretical discourses, such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism. There are also biographies of important figures in the field, with feature entries for those who have heavily influenced areas of the discipline.

Covering all aspects of the subject from globalization and race studies, to queer theory and feminism, this multidisciplinary A-Z is essential for students of literary and cultural studies and is useful for anyone studying a humanity subject requiring a knowledge of theory.

‘A must-have volume’ The Times

The second edition of this dictionary is a unique single volume reference on all aspects of dance performance. The work covers all aspects of the diverse dance world from classical ballet to modern, from flamenco to hip-hop, from tap to South Asian dance forms and includes detailed entries on technical terms, steps, styles, works, and countries, in addition to many biographies of dancers, choreographers, and companies.

Fans today are likely to attend performances as varied as Indian bharata natyam, Japanese butoh, and post-modern dance. With an emphasis on performance—the dance we see in our theatres today—readers will find both fact and analysis on a wide range of subjects.

With 150 new entries, this new edition charts developments that have occurred over the last ten years, including the rise of new digital technology in the creation and staging of dance and the move to the mainstream of formerly fringe genres such as hip-hop, as well as the arrival of a new generation of dancers and choreographers to the scene.

Over 3,900 entries

This best-selling dictionary contains entries on all aspects of accounting, including financial accounting, financial reporting, management accounting, taxation, auditing, corporate finance, and accounting bodies and institutions. Its international coverage includes important terms from the UK, US, Australia, India, and Asia-Pacific.

New entries reflect the latest developments in the accounting profession, e.g. Accounting Council, European Financial Stability Mechanism, and General Anti-Abuse Rule. Existing entries have been updated to cover the latest developments, most notably the Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which sets out new rules in areas such as goodwill, hedge accounting, and fair value accounting. There is increased coverage of topics such as corporate governance, accounting ethics, accounting scandals, and major firms and professional bodies.

This dictionary is essential for students and professionals in accounting and finance, and an ideal source of reference for anyone seeking a clear guide to the often-confusing world of accountancy terms.

Over 350 entries

This new dictionary provides clear and authoritative definitions of terms within the fast-growing field of African Politics. It includes coverage of elections, parties, judiciaries, popular protest, gender relations, the politics of development, and Africa’s international relations as well as major events and figures within African Politics. Entries range from Afrocentrism and the Bandung Conference to ‘Rhodes must fall’ and Sino–African relations and include key terms of particular relevance to Africa such as neopatrimonialism, queue voting, and post-conflict power-sharing. The dictionary also showcases the remarkably vibrant and insightful political language used in Africa, including a range of vernacular terms that are essential for a deep understanding of local political realities.

Written by a world-leading expert on the political science of Africa, this dictionary is an essential guide for both undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as academics, journalists, and researchers working on African politics.

Over 2,000 entries

This new dictionary covers both agriculture and land management, including animals and crops, farm machinery and systems, estate management, forestry and woodland, the environment, and rural recreation. It addresses the increasing overlap between agricultural sectors and the demands of the management of rural land and property.

Offering authoritative and up-to-date information on subjects ranging from soil management and renewable energy to land law, tourism, types of trees and crops, and organizations, policies, and legislation, it is an invaluable guide to agricultural terminology and a must-have for students of agriculture and land management, as well as for professionals in the agricultural and land-management sectors. Entries are complemented by illustrations and tables, including types of trees, crops, and soils, as well as of farm animals and diseases.

‘an excellent publication and a very useful quick reference tool’ - Carl Waldmann, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Reading UK

Over 170 entries

A Dictionary of Anaesthesia clearly defines and describes essential terms relating to the science and practice of anaesthesia. These entries include the specific drugs that anaesthetists utilize, the techniques they apply to induce anaesthesia, the equipment and monitoring they use during surgery, and problems or emergencies that can arise during the process. In addition, a comprehensive weblinks section is provided with hyperlinks to important professional and educational material in the world of anaesthesia. New to the second edition is the inclusion of a number of schematic diagrams that accompany and enhance selected entries within the dictionary. All of the entries have been categorized according to the latest Oxford Taxonomy classification system, allowing for optimal search and reference facilities. These entries expand on and provide links to the coverage of the topic already present in Oxford Reference’s general medical dictionaries. Recently updated to include significant advances in the field of anaesthesia, the second edition of this dictionary provides an authoritative and specialist source of reference and teaching for students and practitioners.

Over 480 entries

Covering every aspect of animal behaviour from adaptation to warning, this accessible A–Z also includes terms from the related fields of ecology, physiology and psychology. Clear and informative entries on topics such as communication, learning, and navigation are backed up by examples and illustrations where appropriate. The new edition adds 80 new entries, expands coverage of behavioural ecology, cognitive ethology, and evolutionary theory, and brings the text up to date with new theories and research.

An essential source of reference for students of biology, psychology, and zoology, and fascinating reading for all those interested in animal behaviour.

‘a valuable piece of scholarship, and the definitive reference work on architecture and landscape design’ – Hannah Malone, Architectural History

Over 5,000 entries

Beautifully illustrated and written in a clear and concise style, this dictionary covers every period of Western architectural history. The text is complemented by over 250 beautiful and meticulous line drawings, labelled cross-sections, and diagrams. There are more than 900 new entries, including hundreds of new biographical entries on leading historical architects, as well as subjects such as algorithmic design, digital architecture, and parametric design, and many entries expanding the coverage of landscape architecture.

‘An enormous amount of obscure data is satisfactorily explained here’ Times Literary Supplement

Over 4,300 entries

Compiled with the help of a team of expert contributors under the editorship of renowned author and broadcaster Ian Ridpath, the third edition of this dictionary covers everything from space exploration and the equipment involved to astrophysics, cosmology, and the concept of time. The dictionary also includes biographical entries on eminent astronomers, as well as worldwide coverage of observatories and telescopes. Supplementary material is included in the appendices, such as tables of Apollo lunar landing missions, the constellations, and planetary data, and numerous other tables and diagrams complement the entries.

The entries have been fully revised and updated for this edition, and around ninety new entries have been added to reflect the recent developments within the field of astronomy, including Bennu, Euclid, Mars Orbiter Mission, and slowly pulsating B star.

A Dictionary of Astronomy is an invaluable reference source for students, professionals, amateur astronomers, and space enthusiasts.

Over 5,800 entries

This new eighth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect recent progress in the fields of biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, with particular expansion to the areas of ecology, cell biology, and plant and animal development. Over 150 new entries include de-extinction, ecological footprint, rewilding, and Zika virus.

Numerous appendices include classifications of the animal and plant kingdoms, SI units, Nobel prizewinners, and a new appendix on anatomical terms. With new diagrams and updated web links, this remains the market-leading dictionary for students of biology, both at sixth form college and university level.

“Another volume for every local historian's bookshelf” - Local Historian

This revised edition of the Dictionary of British Place-Names includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured place-names from earliest times to the present day. Included place-names range from the familiar to the obscure, among them 'Beer', 'Findlater', 'Broadbottom', and 'Great Snoring'. The A to Z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish place-names, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of Britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in place-names.

Both accessible and up to date, this dictionary is an ideal companion for anybody travelling around the British Isles, as well as for researchers and students with an interest in toponomy, local history, cartography, and lexicography.

‘will help to demystify terms such as bear hugs, white/grey knights, cash-cows and churning … strongly recommended’ – TES

Over 7,000 entries

This wide-ranging and authoritative dictionary covers all areas of business and management, including marketing, organizational behaviour, business strategy, law, and taxation. Now in its sixth edition, it features recent developments such as social media and peer-to-peer lending, as well as the financial crisis and the subsequent sovereign debt crisis.

Existing entries have been updated, and over two hundred new entries added including bitcoin, Cog’s Ladder, mobile commerce, Six Sigma, social media, theory of institutional deficiencies, and zero-hours contract. There is expanded coverage of financial regulation and corporate social responsibility, including entries such as aw-shucks defence and Financial Conduct Authority.

The new edition of this bestselling dictionary elucidates modern financial and management jargon, defining entries in a clear, concise, and accessible manner. It remains essential for business students, teachers, and professionals, and useful for anyone needing a guide to business terminology.

Over 650 entries

This accessible new dictionary provides clear and authoritative definitions of terms, approaches, and techniques in the area of business research methods. It covers research philosophies including research design and qualitative and quantitative methods, types of data and data collection techniques, and organizing and reporting research finding. It is an invaluable resource for students, academics, and professionals learning about research methods as part of a business degree, and undertaking research in many fields including sociology, psychology, and marketing.

From Toussaint L’Ouverture to Pelé, the Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography will provide a comprehensive overview of the lives of Caribbeans and Afro-Latin Americans who are historically significant. The project will be unprecedented in scale, covering the entire Caribbean, and the Afro-descended populations throughout Latin America, including people who spoke and wrote Creole, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. It will also encompass the full scope of history, with entries on figures from the first forced slave migrations in the sixteenth centuries, to entries on living persons such as the Haitian musician and politician Wyclef Jean and the Cuban author and poet Nancy Morejón. Individuals will be drawn from all walks of life including philosophers, politicians, activists, entertainers, scholars, poets, scientists, religious figures, kings, and everyday people whose lives have contributed to the history of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Over 5,000 entries

Clear and authoritative, this popular dictionary provides an invaluable guide to every aspect of chemistry and its related fields. Its coverage is broad, ranging from physical chemistry to biochemistry, and is informed by the most current research. Eight informative appendices supplement the text, as well as over 200 diagrams, graphs, and tables, to provide a useful visual aid for the more complex definitions.

Now in its eighth edition, the dictionary has been fully revised, making it the most up-to-date reference work of its kind. Areas such as analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, and organic chemistry have been expanded to reflect recent developments in the field. There are also 176 entirely new entries, including bioethanol, electron ionization, genome, and nanochemistry.

With its comprehensive and reliable content, this dictionary is an essential resource for students and teachers of chemistry at every level.

Over 6,500 entries

Previously named A Dictionary of Computing, this bestselling dictionary has been fully revised by a team of computer specialists, making it the most up-to-date and authoritative guide to computing available. Including expanded coverage of multimedia, computer applications, networking, and personal computing, it encompasses all aspects of the subject. Terms are defined in a jargon-free and concise manner, with helpful examples where relevant, and the appendices include useful resources such as generic domain names, file extensions, and the Greek alphabet. This dictionary is suitable for anyone who uses computers, and is as valuable for home and office users as it is indispensable for students of computing.

Over 8,000 entries

This is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind, covering the key areas of construction and civil engineering.

This new edition has been fully updated to span the subjects of sustainability, new technologies, disaster management, and building software, and provides authoritative and reliable definitions to a wide range of terms. More than 600 new entries have been added to include terms such as asset management, hydraulic failure, sustainable development, and value engineering, providing broad coverage of construction and civil engineering, management techniques and processes, as well as legal aspects such as contracts and procurement. Detailed illustrations complement the text, and a further reading section is included to guide the reader towards suggested materials.

Written by a team of more than 130 experts from around the world, this dictionary is an authoritative resource for engineering students, construction professionals, and surveyors.

‘Concise, current information … highly recommended’ – Choice, the magazine of the American Library Association

Over 2,800 entries

The authoritative dictionary provides informative and analytical entries on the most important people, organizations, events, movements, and ideas that have shaped the world we live in. Covering the period from 1900 to the present day, this fully revised and updated new edition presents a global perspective on recent history, with a wide range of new entries from Tony Abbott, the European migration crisis, and ISIS to Narendra Modi, Hassan Rouhani, and UKIP. All existing entries have been brought up to date. Handy tables include lists of office-holders for countries and organizations and winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This comprehensive reference resource will be invaluable to students of history, politics, and international relations as well as to journalists, policymakers, and general readers interested in the modern world.

Over 750 entries

The most authoritative and up-to-date dictionary of critical theory available, covering the Frankfurt school, cultural materialism, cultural studies, gender studies, film studies, literary theory, hermeneutics, historical materialism, Internet studies, and sociopolitical critical theory. It explains complex theoretical discourses, such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, deconstruction, and postmodernism clearly and provides biographies of figures who have influenced the discipline, such as Deleuze and Foucault.

This new edition has been updated to extend coverage of diaspora, race, and postcolonial theory, and of queer and sexuality studies, ensuring that it remains invaluable for students of literary and cultural studies and anyone studying a humanities subject requiring a knowledge of theory.

Over 400 entries

This new dictionary provides concise, authoritative definitions for a range of concepts relating to cultural anthropology, as well as important findings and intellectual figures in the field. Entries include adaptation, kinship, scientific racism, and writing culture, providing its readers with a wide-ranging overview of the subject.

This accessibly written and engaging text presents anthropology as a dynamic and lively field of enquiry. Complemented by a global list of anthropological organizations, more than 15 figures and tables to illustrate the entries, and weblinks pointing to useful external sources, this is an essential text for undergraduates studying anthropology, and also serves those studying allied subjects such as politics, economics, geography, sociology, and gender studies.

This dictionary covers thousands of important terms and concepts used in dentistry today. Entries are written in clear and concise English without the use of unnecessary dental or medical jargon, and many entries are supplemented by detailed line drawings or colour photographs.

The dictionary defines terms in a broad range of dental specialist areas. In this edition expanded coverage has been given in particular to topics that include oral surgery, oral medicine, special care dentistry, anaesthesia, restorative dentistry, paediatric dentistry, anatomy, and orthodontics.

An essential guide for dental practitioners and dental students, it is also an invaluable reference source for all members of the dental team, medical practitioners, lawyers involved with members of the dental profession, and the general reader.

Over 200 entries

This new dictionary provides definitions of terms covering disaster research and management. It features practical terms, key concepts in disaster research from a social science perspective, and key organizations involved in disaster management, allowing readers to access definitions on the most important topics within this developing field.

Terms include famine, disaster diplomacy, event-tree analysis, and humanitarian principles. Some are short and concise, while others elaborate on the history and diversity of complex concepts such as resilience or climate change. Illustrations and weblinks offer additional context and resources.

This work focuses on the practical managerial dimension of disaster management and covers terms that a student of disaster management will need to understand. It is an essential reference source for students and professionals in this area.

Over 6,500 entries

Written in a clear, accessible style, this authoritative and wide-ranging dictionary contains entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Entries cover topics such as plant and animal physiology, animal behaviour, pollution, conservation, habitat management, population, evolution, environmental pollution, climatology, and meteorology. It also includes many line drawings and useful appendices.

Fully revised, updated, and expanded, with over 300 new entries that include beach replenishment, delta method, urban heat island, and zonal soils, this new edition is invaluable to students of ecology, biology, and environmental and conservation studies, and professionals in related areas, as well as the general reader with an interest in the natural world.

Over 3,500 entries

This authoritative and comprehensive dictionary contains clear, concise definitions of key economic terms. Covering all aspects of economics including economic theory and policy, applied microeconomics and macroeconomics, labour economics, public economics and public finance, monetary economics, and environmental economics, this is the essential reference work in this area.

Entries are supplemented by entry-level web links, and useful appendices include a list of institutional acronyms and their affiliated websites, a list of Nobel prize-winners in economics, the Greek alphabet, and a list of relevant websites.

This dictionary is an essential guide for students and teachers of economics, business, and finance, as well as for professional economists and anyone who has to deal with economic data.