More than 4,000 entries from 55 B.C. to the present, in an A^-Z format, mark this newest entry in the Oxford Companion series of histories. Renowned for their thoroughness and authoritative approach--the editor used more than 100 distinguished academic contributors--the Oxford people have produced yet another standard in the field. Covering more than 2,000 years of British history, this one-volume historical dictionary includes social, political, military, cultural, economic, scientific, and biographical events. All entries are signed by the contributor and run from short 50-word descriptions to longer 1,000-to 1,500-word essays. Cited references are noted by an asterisk, and, when appropriate, cross-references are also provided. Entries cover the range of history from major political figures, such as Disraeli and Elizabeth I, to music, literature, and science, with entries for the Beatles, Mary Shelley, and Sir Isaac Newton. Legal and technical terms are represented as well. Examples of these include infangthief and outfangthief (early medieval jurisdictions), and oyer and terminer (commission issued to traveling justices to visit the shire and receive the presentments of those suspected of crime). Sports are covered, with entries for cockfighting, cricket, croquet, gliding, and hockey, among others. Entries on social and domestic life--childbirth, children, coffee houses, gypsies and tinkers, inns and tavernsare also prominent. There are 12 historical maps as well as several genealogical charts. A subject index including most headwords and related articles rounds out the volume. The subject index provides the equivalent of see also references, listing articles under general topics such as battles, prime ministers, and sport and recreation. This volume is more up to date than The Columbia Companion to British History [RBB Mr 15 97], which ends its coverage in 1979. Oxford, on the other hand, includes events as recent as Tony Blair's election as British Prime Minister in May 1997. It also includes more general articles, such as dress, foreign policy, and funerals. Its biographical entries, especially for kings and queens, tend to be longer. These differences, coupled with the subject index and the fact that many of its entries include a brief list of sources, make The Oxford Companion to British History a first choice. It is recommended for all high-school, public, and academic libraries and should be kept on the ready-reference shelves.

In approximately 4,500 signed, alphabetic entries, this major work by more than 120 contributors covers the history of Great Britain and Ireland, with a focus on the Middle Ages to the present. The text is informative and scholarly, with no obvious omissions, however, this reviewer noted a few factual errors. In the entry for Mary I, for example, it states that Mary submitted to her father, Henry VIII, in 1537, when it was 1536. Under "Suffolk, Charles Brandon, 1st duke of," the author states that Charles Brandon was created Viscount Lisle in 1515 and thereafter received the Garter, having becoming duke of Suffolk in 1514; instead, he received the Garter in April 1513, was created viscount in May 1513, and achieved his highest honor, the dukedom, in 1514. The main text lacks illustrations, although appendixes offer maps alongside genealogies and a helpful subject index. The preface suggests that this new second edition is a considerable update of the first (CH, Jun'98 35-5431) and revised editions (2002)--a claim open to debate. Entries have been written for Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and the referendum for Scottish Independence, but the extensive entry for Elizabeth II provides little material dealing with the present century. Some of the longer entries provide a brief bibliography, but rarely cite a work published after 2000--a missed opportunity. This work may be an optional purchase for libraries that own an earlier version of the text, but a recommended addition to most other libraries. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. --Phillip J. Jones, University of Arkansas