Chambers Dictionary of Music


PB £12.99

"Chambers Dictionary of Music" contains around 7500 entries in a compact paperback format. Its clear layout and straightforward definitions make it an ideal resource for music students and general readers alike. Packed with essential information, it is also a handy reference for those with a more detailed knowledge of music. The selection and editing of the contents have been overseen by members of the Music Department at the Open University, including Professor Donald Burrows. The dictionary is a set book for an Open University course: A214 Understanding Music: Elements, Techniques and Styles. The dictionary has previously been published as the "Hutchinson Concise Dictionary of Music". 

	Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History Rabbi Joseph Telushkin HB £24.95
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin undertook a mission to heal "Jewish ignorance," an affliction whose symptoms include the ability to name the three components of the Trinity, coupled with an inability to explain mitzvah. Telushkin's contribution to the cure is his wide-ranging, entertaining Jewish Literacy. First published in 1991, Jewish Literacy contains almost 350 entries on subjects ranging from the Ten Commandments to The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Entries are numbered (for easy, encyclopedia-style reference) and organized topically (to smooth the experience of reading each page straight through). And the revised edition contains several new entries (including articles about the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the vice-presidential nomination of Joseph Lieberman) as well as numerous corrections, enlargements, and updates. One might expect Rabbi Telushkin's project of inspiring Jewish literacy to be overly earnest, but the author's understated wit adds considerable pleasure to many entries.

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

ed. Elizabeth Knowles

HB £30.00

This is a major new edition of Oxford's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of quotations, bringing you the wisdom of the ages and the sound bites of today in 20,000+ quotations. The text is a browser's paradise, covering people and events from Cleopatra to J. K.Rowling, and the battle of Marathon to the Hutton Inquiry. The keyword index will help you to trace that half-remembered quote, and identifies the quotations that give us key phrases such as 'state of the Union' and 'dodgy dossier'. Special sections bring together categories such as Misquotations and Film lines. Traditional areas have been enriched and the best of the new added, and the Introduction tells the story of the nation's favourite quotations dictionary over 60 years.

Wisden Cricketer's Almanack

ed. Scyld Berry

HB £40.00

   Oxford Companion to Literature

   ed. Margaret Drabble

   HB £29.99

The first edition of The Oxford Companion to English Literature, edited by Sir Paul Harvey, was published in 1932, and quickly established itself as as the standard source of reference for scholars, students, and general readers alike. In 1985, under the editorship of Margaret Drabble, the text was thoroughly and sensitively revised to bring it up to date without losing its essential character, or the lightness of touch that made it such a pleasure to dip into. The sixth edition, published in 2000, was extensively revised, expanded, and updated. Almost 600 new entries covered new writers, genres, and issues, and existing entries were reworked to incorporate the latest scholarship. The text was written by a team of more than 140 contributors under Margaret Drabble's editorial direction, including Brian Aldiss, Lisa Appignanesi, Jonathan Coe, Penelope Fitzgerald, Roy Porter, and Salman Rushdie. In addition to the extensive coverage of writers, works, literary theory, allusions, and characters, there are sixteen featured entries on key topics including black British literature, fantasy fiction, and modernism.The Companion remains an unrivalled work that places English literature in its widest context: no other book offers such extensive exploration of the classical roots of English literature, and the European and non-European works and writers that have influenced its development. 

The Sports Book

Ray Stubbs

HB £20.00

This is the ultimate armchair companion to practically every sport ever invented, put together with sports fantatic Ray Stubbs. Open up the synthetic grass cover and check out the rules, history, players and events for over 250 of the world's greatest sports: from basketball to bobsleigh, karate to korfball, and synchronised swimming to ski jumping. Stay ahead in the world of sport with the latest facts and figures from leading experts and governing bodies. Pick up the techniques and tactics of the world's best competitors. Plus get in training early with the special fact-filled feature on the Olympic Games.

The Jewish Book of Why (abridged)

Alfred Kolatch

PB £10.95 (unabridged version available in two HB vols.)

Why are there kosher dietary laws, why must the chapter of curses in the Tora be read quickly in a low voice, and what's the point of visiting a body of water to empty pockets of crumbs on Rosh Hashana? Kolatch writes lucidly and knowingly, explaining the biblical, traditional and superstitious sources of thousands of questions pertaining to Judaism; the comprehensive index is expertly organized.