Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

I never thought I'd describe a reference book as unputdownable, but once you open this book to look one thing up (say, a peculiar expression that someone has just said, "Now why *do* we say that?" about), you'll find yourself reading all the entries in sight! Very useful for anyone with an interest in literature, history, or language and great fun to use, with a distinctly tongue-in-cheek feel to it (the hilarious section on "Famous Last Words", for instance).It makes a really lovely present for young and old: it looks suitably impressive, has fairly universal appeal provided they're a fan of the written word, and is far livelier than the standard reference books that get trotted out on Important Occasions. I have given this to my best friend, my step-dad, and a second cousin who has just come of age; the latter (aged 13) hasn't been heard from yet (we calculated that there's a pretty good chance he's going to read it, unlike most of the books he's bound to have received), but the other two have adored it, and friends who have been introduced to my copy usually end up spending a good hour leafing through it. A huge number of phrases, expressions, and characters from myth, history and literature are there, but I still want to know where the word "codswallop" comes from...

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable is, without question, a wonderful reference book. All reviews agree that it's unique in scope and content. Read the other reviews for details. I can't really add anything there.But interestingly, no one focuses on what a great read this book is. I love it because I can just pick it up, open the book to any page at random, and instantly lose myself in the contents of the pages. It's delightful in that you never know what you'll learn (but you always learn something interesting), and you can read as much or as little as you wish, depending on your time or interest. Later on, you can pick up where you left off, or just flip the pages to some other random place in the bookWe jokingly refer to it as the world's best "bathroom book."So, by all means use it as a reference, but don't stop there - read it!

I remember being unable to put down an earlier edition of "Brewer" (unfortunately, I can't say which one, since I don't have a copy). What it had that the current edition has much less of was an exhaustive collection of allusions to classical literature and mythology. This made it indispensable if you were reading 19th Century literature (or earlier), where allusions to these texts were not only more common, but went unexplained because contemporaneous readers didn't need the explanation. The current edition has cut much of this - admittedly obscure - material, presumably to make room for items of more contemporary appeal. "Brewer" was at least as much fun to "dip into" with nothing in particular to track down as it was for reference use. I suppose "sic transit gloria mundi" in this context is blasphemous, but that's how it feels...

This book is simply one of the best dictionaries of its kind ever to have been published, and, I might add, Brewer's work has already become a classic. It contains a wealth of entries from divers areas, including mythology, history, classics, language, as well as common sayings, phrases and legends. Useful as a reference though it is, this dictionary is eminently suited to a casual browse, which one will invariably find interesting, entertaining and edifying, containing many obscure tidbits of trivia that catches one's eyes. This edition, unfortunately, omits a few entries that were present in previous editions, and this is a sad loss, but, all in all, the book is worth every penny, and is a valuable reference on anyone's bookshelf, especially to those with literary pretensions.