The Oxford Companion to British History [Paperback]

John Cannon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2003

Here is an updated Companion detailing the people and events that have shaped and defined life in Britain over 2,000 years of change. In The Oxford Companion to British History, Revised Edition, over 4,000 entries by more than 100 distinguished contributors offer a wealth of information and insight into the social, political, economic, scientific, cultural, and military aspects of the history of Britain. In addition to the entries on kings, queens, and battles, topics as diverse as gibbeting (the exhibiting of corpses of executed criminals in public), Eadgyth (the mistress of Harold II), and truck (the payment of wages in food and kind) can be found. Now available for the first time in paperback, the text has been updated and revised to take into account the events, people, and institutions that have made their mark over the past four years. The new and re-written entries further broaden the already extensive coverage, bringing the text up to the year 2002. There are several updated maps as well as a subject index, which groups headwords into thematic batches to provide an alternative way of accessing the entries.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From "Abbeys," monastic organizations that were important in local-level medieval government, to "Zutphen, Battle of," where the great poet Sir Philip Sidney lost his life in 1586, this 1,000-plus-page tome offers an erudite register of all things British. Editor John Cannon's emphases are sometimes idiosyncratic--the entry for the Beatles, inarguably influential in British and world history, is as short as that for "beagling," a particular kind of rabbit hunting. The Oxford Companion to British History is an invaluable and well-written resource for Anglophiles nonetheless. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Revised edition (April 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198605145
• ISBN-13: 978-0198605140
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #593,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best one volume source on British History., April 10, 2000

By 

Richard L. King - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to British History (Hardcover)

I have been using the "Oxford Companion to British History" on a regular basis since its publication. I am not a specialist in British History, but my work as a cataloguer of rare and antiquarian British books has required me to have a working knowledge of British History. This book has proved invaluable to me in my work. Moreover, I can rarely resist the temptation to browse the Companion--it is a text that draws the reader in. Highly recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For any academic library's British History collection, May 17, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to British History (Paperback)

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, The Oxford Companion To British History is a dictionary-style, 1056-page resource reference which is filled from cover to cover with names, places, terms, and events comprising the history of Great Britain and organized alphabetically for easy lookup. Compiled and edited by John Cannon (formerly the Chair of Modern History at Newcastle-upon-Tyne until 1992) and brimming with extensive facts and details, The Oxford Companion To British History is a top-notch reference which is enhanced with the inclusion of 12 maps, and would prove to be an invaluable cornerstone for any academic library's British History collection.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed look at British Empire, with one error, February 10, 1998

By 

Author Bill Peschel "Writers Gone Wild" (Hershey, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to British History (Hardcover)

This massive 1,000+ page guide to all things British is a solemn, sometimes irreverent dissection of the United Kingdom. More than just a reference work describing the doings of politicians and generals. This companion carefully moves into areas not normally covered by such works. There are entries that discuss various major industries - shipbuilding, mining, gas and cotton - and on aspects of private and domestic life, like childbirth, housing, health and food. While the growth, meaning and importance of sports is discussed, only two athletes rate their own entries (the soccer star Stanley Matthews, knighted for his accomplishments on the field, and cricketer W.G. Grace, the Victorian star who continued playing first-rate cricket until he was 60). The only flaw in the entire book is a production problem that caused the deletion of pages 949 through 980, or between James Ussher and William Whewell. Not a noticeable problem, unless you're looking up information about Queen Victoria.