About this title: A reference guide containing information about thousands of phrases and expressions not normally covered by conventional dictionaries. New etymological material about word and phrase histories is included, and there are entries on people and events from mythology, the bible, and literature.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row
Date Published: 1970
ISBN-13:9780060104665ISBN:006010466X
Description: Very Good. Very good hardcover with DJ. Previous owner's inscription on end paper, pages are otherwise clean and unmarked. Covers show minor shelf wear. Binding is tight, hinges strong. Dust jacket shows light edge wear.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: WEIDENFELD NICOLSON ILLUSTRATED
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780304345991ISBN:0304345997
Description: Used-Good. Ex-Library. Hardcover. We individually inspect and grade each book. Our books are professionally packaged and processed quickly. read more
Description: Good in very good dust jacket. Ex-library. Ex-library copy in VG condition. 1175 p. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Cassell Publishing Company, London
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780304307067ISBN:0304307068
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Second revised edition, fifth impression. The jacket has a one half inch tear at the back lower edge next to the spine. read more
Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Harper & Row, New York
Date Published: 1970
Description: Very Good in Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Top spine shaken slightly. Dust jacket spine is darkening; lightly rubbed & edge-worn. 1175pp. read more
Description: Very Good. No Dj. Ex-Lib. 970 pgs. Ex-Lib. w/usual marks. Text clean. This reference work contains more than 20, 000 definitions of phrases and words most commonly and uncommonly used in literature and everyday speech. Entries explain the meaning and origin of phrases and their significance in religion, philosophy, literature, geography, mathematics, and the sciences. read more
Binding: Unknown Binding
Publisher: Cassell
Date Published: 1970
ISBN-13:9780304935703ISBN:0304935700
Description: Good. The page spine is dirty. The dust cover of this book is slightly ripped. However, book in a very good condition **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Unknown Binding
Publisher: Cassell
Date Published: 1970
ISBN-13:9780304935703ISBN:0304935700
Description: Good. Cover type-This book is a hardcover copy. The dust cover of this book is slightly damage. However, book in a very good condition **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Description: Good. Ships from the UK. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Description: Acceptable. Ships from the UK. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780304315895ISBN:0304315893
Description: Good. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Edition: 2nd Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row, New York
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780060149031ISBN:0060149035
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. EX-LIBRARY. EXPECTED MARKINGS AND ATTACHMENTS. ILLUSTRATED DUST JACKET WRAPPED IN MYLAR. INTERIOR PAGES CLEAN, BRIGHT AND TIGHT WITH LIBRARY STAMPS MARKED OUT. read more
Edition: Centenary Edition
Binding: hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row, Pubs, New York
Date Published: 1970
ISBN-13:9780060104665ISBN:006010466X
Description: Very good copy in near fine(-) dust jacket; tiny blemish on front, rear hinge slightly compressed but intact; dj fine except for fading to red lettering on spine. Revised by Ivor H. Evans. 8vo 8 1/2"x 5 3/8" cherry-red cloth w/ pub logo in gilt on front, lettering in gilt on spine; 1175 double-column pages; white dust jacket w/ blue & red lettering; front flap price-clipped w/ 0172 at bottom; my vote for best edition of Brewer's, printed in Great Britain, full cloth, bright gilt w/ compact ... read more
Description: Good. in Very Good jacket. Ex-library reference copy hardcover (usual stamps, stickers) in very good condition with nice dust jacket in sturdy protective mylar; interior fine-pages crisp, white, appear unmarked; a very clean, sound copy of this thick (2 in. ) heavy (2.5 lbs. ) 1213-pg. hardcover; published by Harper & Row, 1981, Centenary Edition, Revised; edited by Ivor H. Evans (see my cover scan to the left) read more
Edition: Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Cassell Publishers Ltd., London
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780304315895ISBN:0304315893
Description: Very Good/No Jacket. 0304315893 Clean Copy Soft cover and contents in very good clean condition. Bottom of page block is a bit grabby. read more
Description: Good. Unknown publication date-looks circa first few decades of 1900s. No d/j. Rubbing and edge wear on cover, head and tail of spine have some fraying. Pages tanned, back hinge cracked, spine creased. read more
Edition: Centenary Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row Publishers, New York, N.Y.
Date Published: 1970
ISBN-13:9780060104665ISBN:006010466X
Description: Good in fine dust jacket. Ex-library. from abacus to zoot-suit this one has it all. from church library with dj under mylar & minimal ID markings. burnt orange cloth with gold gilt titleing along spine. revised centenary issue appears to be 4th... 1175 p. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS
Date Published: 1963
Description: Good. No publication date, looks to be ca. 1950s/1960s. Good with no d/j. Light rubbing and edge wear on cover, clean pages, tight spine. read more
"Various editions of this book are available online in digitized form. But that shouldn't stop you from getting your own physical copy. Nothing can rival the joy of browsing through it - you're bound to learn something fascinating along the way. As Terry Pratchett says in the Foreword, it's a storehouse of "little parcels of serendipitous information of a kind that are perhaps of no immediate use, but which are, nevertheless very good for the brain."
First published in 1870, Brewer's has flourished for over a century. It has always been the reference book that "reaches the parts others cannot", the option you try if what you are looking for is not in a standard dictionary or encyclopedia. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, chances are you'll uncover something even more interesting. The fact that it has reached its 17th edition (published in 2005) suggests that it clearly meets a need, even if its exact scope can be hard to pin down precisely. Certainly, one need look no further with a question about 'traditional' myths and legends - from the Erymanthian boar to the Swan of Tuonela, from Aarvak and the Abbasids to zombies and Zoroastrians, they're all covered. The latest edition updates the mythical pantheon to include such creatures as the Balrog and Nazgûl, Voldemort and Dumbledore, the Psammead and Zaphod Beeblebrox, to name only a few.
This edition incorporates many new features to tempt the reader -- a listing of idioms from Spanish, French, and German, first lines in fiction, assorted sayings attributed to Sam Goldwyn, curious place names in Great Britain and Ireland, the dogs, horses, and last words of various historical and fictional figures. So, while looking for information on freemasonry, you may find yourself diverted to learn that French people don't dress to the nines - instead they put on their thirty-one, perhaps in preparation for a bout of window pane licking (window shopping). And if that femme fatale you met last night stands you up this evening, it may be that she has other cats to whip. Or it could be that she has received a messenger from Rome (who might be called Aunt Flo by an English speaker).
But as always, it's the weird tidbits, stumbled across by sheer accident, that are the real delight. For instance, I could certainly have gotten through my entire life without knowing about the blue men of the Minch . But knowing that they are legendary beings who haunt the Minches (the channels separating the Outer Hebrides from the rest of Scotland), occasionally bothering sailors, enriches my life. The added information that they are either kelpies or fallen angels, and are reputed to drag mariners to the bottom of the sea if they fail to answer questions in rhyming couplets (in Gaelic, naturally), fills me with unutterable glee.
As do most of the entries in this terrific reference book."
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