The titles of artworks can often be misleading, and their relationship to a painting or sculpture difficult to discern. Often, a title requires previous knowledge of history, religion or mythology. Sometimes, the title reflects the ownership or history of the painting, its subjects or patrons, but does not explain them. Many titles are allusive and by their nature open ended - for example, ""The Escape"" does not explain the cause, the motivation, or anything else about the escape. Finally, some titles defy all logic and seem to have little to do with the artwork.This dictionary of 3,000 works of art explains the meaning behind the titles. The titles, mostly of paintings and sculpture, but also of some less traditional media, are arranged alphabetically by original title or English title (with post - 18th century French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian works usually given in their own language, and occasionally other works as well); each entry provides an English title when necessary, the artist's name, when known, the date of creation, the present location unless a work is not extant, and an explanation of the title. A bibliography and an index of artists are included.

Humankind have long viewed animals as if they shared human characteristics. Naturally this view is expressed in the naming of the beloved family pet, a farm animal, a race horse, an exotic bird, an insect, or any other animal. Arranged by type of name (genetic, descriptive, incident, link, group, pedigree and show, horse and hound, farm, famous, mythical and legendary, and fictional), this is a reference to how people name animals. For each type there is an introductory section followed by numerous examples with the stories behind the particular name.

This work gives the origins and meanings of geographical and political features of the former Soviet Union. All 15 countries that were once part of the U.S.S.R. are included. Each of the over 2,000 entries provides, first, the name of the feature along with its Cyrillic counterpart, followed by the country, and the geographical location within the country; an account of the name's origin and meaning then follows, with appropriate historical, topographical and biographical references. Cross references provide former names and alternate spellings or forms of current names.

New in paperback! This new and revised edition of Place-Name Changes Since 1900, originally published in 1979, contains over 4,500 name changes worldwide, ranging from small villages to entire countries. Much has changed in the world in the 13 years that have passed since the original work appeared, and the new edition takes full account of recent developments in Germany, the former Soviet Union, and other East European countries such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. An appendix gives the official names of countries of the world as of January 1, 1992. The bibliography has been updated and enlarged. Now more than ever, the work will prove an essential reference tool for all those who wish to keep abreast with the latest developments on the world stage. Cloth edition previously published in 1993. Paperback edition available August 2002.

This reference dictionary provides a user-friendly pronunciation guide for over 12,000 placenames worldwide. Avoiding the unconventional characters and symbols of the traditional International Phonetic Alphabet, the author writes with an easy-to-read phonetic alphabet, which uses only standard English letters. From Aachen, Germany (pronounced Ah kun) to Zywiec, Poland (pronounced Zhi vets), entries include familiar world placenames, both historic and current, as well as several less familiar names which have uncertain or difficult pronunciations. An appendix provides a useful directory to the most well-known countries, regions, and cities which have placenames that differ significantly between native and English pronunciations.

A placename is often much more than just a label. A name may bespeak the history of a nation, the culture of a people, or the hopes of an individual. Such connections are revealed in this very large reference work on placenames of the world, which offers an in-depth look at the origins of each. First published in 1997, the work in this new edition contains over 6,000 entries, including 1,000 new placenames from previously under-represented areas such as China and Japan. Entries cover natural features such as mountains, rivers and lakes as well as manmade entities such as cities and countries. Each entry includes the name of the feature; a brief description and its geographical location; and the origin of the name with relevant historical, biographical and topographical details. Appendices give the meanings of common elements of non-English placenames (e.g., Abu, as in Abu Dhabi, means ""father of""); major placenames in European languages (e.g., Pays-Bas and Paesi Bassi are the French and Italian names, respectively, for what English speakers call the Netherlands); and transcribed Chinese-language equivalents for the names of the world's countries and capitals.

The specialized jargon of some sports can be quite esoteric. Non-Americans, for example, are likely puzzled by baseball terms such as bunt, cut-off man, and safety squeeze, while non-British (as well as a number of British) are likely puzzled by cricket's Chinaman, doosra, golden duck, off-break, popping crease, and yorker. This new dictionary gives the definitions of over 8,000 terms used in sports and games from around the world, including mainstream sports like basketball and billiards alongside the more obscure netball and snooker. Entries cover sports equipment, strategies, venues, qualifying categories, awards, and administrative bodies, while a comprehensive system of cross-references offers assistance and clarification when needed. One appendix lists standard abbreviations of sports ruling bodies and administrative organizations.

This new type of geographical dictionary lists past and present alternate names of more than 7,000 places. It focuses particularly on placenames with official or semiofficial status rather than nicknames or colloquial abbreviations. Alternate placenames are important for historical and geographical reasons, and although they predominate in countries that have undergone wars and invasions, such alternate names can equally result from political or administrative changes. In addition to the factual data related to each entry, the dictionary also comments on names and their origins where appropriate. Appendices focus on placenames in non-English languages and on places which have been renamed in fictional works.

From Arles, Bibliotheque Nationale and fontana to sanctus, Joinville-le-Pont and Notre-Dame-des-Champs, this work is an alphabetical dictionary of over 4000 placenames in both France and Corsica. Natural features such as rivers, mountains and islands; administrative regions such as historical provinces and modern departments; and inhabited centers such as cities, towns and villages are all listed here.

When possible, entries include examples of the early forms of the names and cross-references are provided as appropriate. The text concludes with four appendices: "Key Elements in French Placenames," "Revolutionary Placenames," "Names of Paris Metro Stations" and "Names of Major Features in Paris."

In this extensively revised and enlarged edition of a work first published in 1994, many of the entries have been expanded or entirely rewritten, and the entries have increased in number from 2,000 to more than 2,500. Each placename's entry identifies the country and, in most cases, geographical location within the country. An account of the name's origin and meaning follows, along with appropriate historical, topographical, and biological references. Cross references provide former names, alternate spellings, and alternate forms of current names. A new introduction comprises a geographical summary, a chronological survey of the exploration and colonization of Africa, and an overview of African languages.

Often, the title of one of the world's great musical compositions is not a clear or simple matter. An allusive title, particularly in a foreign language, or a title that does not seem related to the work, can confuse even the most devoted music lover.Here are histories of the creation of 3,500 titles for symphonies, operas, oratorios, ballets, orchestral works, choral works, chamber music, keyboard compositions, and songs, ranging from the popular to the obscure. Titles are arranged alphabetically by most common form, English or other language (with French, German, Italian and Spanish titles usually given in those languages), and each entry includes alternate titles and non - English language versions of the title where appropriate, the composer's name, date of composition and first performance, opus number where appropriate, a description of the work, and the origin of the title or any story behind it. A bibliography and an index of composers are included.

Adjacent or adjoining? Abuse or misuse? Consist, comprise, constitute, or compose? Guarantee or warranty? Pose, propose, or propound? Stationery or stationary? The "Dictionary of Confusable Words" aims to clear up the confusion in such cases. In more than 1,100 entries, the meaning of 3,000 individual words are given, the difference between them is explained, and an illustrative example showing the correct usage is provided.
The book also includes specific examples to show past and present usage of words, and words occuring as the second or subsequent in a group are cross-referenced to ther head word in the appropriate alphabetical place. Editor Adrian Room has also included some familiar proper names that are sometimes confused, such as Liberia and Libya (countries), Monterey and Monterrey (towns), and Lloyds and Lloyd's (financial institutions).
Classic or classical? Discreet or discrete? Continual or Continuous? Principle or Principal? Confused? Be confused no longer, with this handy book as your user-friendly guide.

Substantially revised and enlarged, this new edition of the Dictionary of Pseudonyms includes over 2,000 new entries, bringing the volume's total to approximately 13,000 assumed names, nicknames, stage names, and aliases. The introduction has been entirely rewritten, and many previous entries feature new accompanying details or quoted material. This volume also features a significantly greater number of cross-references than was included in previous editions. Arranged by pseudonym, the entries give the true name, vital dates, country of origin or settlement, and profession. Many entries also include the story behind the person's name change.