’Thisis,infact,notwhatyouwerelookingfor;butit’smuchmoreinteresting’TerryPratchettMuchlovedforitswitandwisdomsince1870,Brewer’sDictionaryofPhraseandFabletakesyouonacaptivatingadventurethroughitstrademarkblendoflanguage,culture,mythandlegend.NowhereelsecouldthehistoriesoftheguillotineandGuinnessstoutsitsocomfortablyalongsidetheKGBandtheKeystoneKops.Brewer’sisacatalogueofcuriositiesandabsurditiesthat,overalmost150yearsinprint,hasacquirednear-mythicalstatus.EditedbySusieDent,thisneweditionincludesabrandnewCollectionofCuriousWordsandmanynewandupdatedentries.Itspagesbrimwithesotericandentertainingoddities-everythingfromcuriouscustomstotheworldofnewspapersandpoliticalalliancesofyesteryear-allseenthroughthedistinctiveBrewerlens.ThistwentietheditionofBrewer’sDictionaryofPhraseandFableencapsulatesallthecharmandwitthatcharacteriseitspredecessorsandmaintainsthestandardsofscholarshipandeclecticismthathavelongbeenitshallmark.Whetheryou’reacommittedBrewerphileoranewcomertoitspagesoffascinatingentries,thiseditionwilldrawyouinandkeepyougluedtoitsrichmixofeccentricnuggets.AsSusieDentexplainsintheforeword,Brewer’s“isunlikeanyotherreferencebookthatexists,anywhere.“
