If you're unsure of which patron saint to call on when confronting obstacles, then you need this ready reference. Arranged alphabetically by subject and by saint, it includes thousands of listings and hundreds of holy advocates. You'll discover one hundred and fifty titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary resulting in more than seven thousand invocations. You'll learn about saints from the British Isles, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Mexico, Northern Europe, South America, Spain, and elsewhere. Almost every country has a patron saint, and some have several. The saint most commonly invoked for particular needs is marked by bold script, but you'll also become acquainted with lesser-known saints that you can invoke. You'll find patrons for sinners, such as thieves; patrons for children, including by gender and type; patrons for various types of animals; patrons for different ailments; and many more. The Comprehensive Dictionary of Patron Saints is invaluable for authors, churches, libraries, and the faithful seeking to conduct research, answer questions, and overcome life's most difficult challenges.

Where did your surname come from? Do you know how many people in the United States share it? What does it tell you about your lineage? From the editor of the highly acclaimed Dictionary of Surnames comes the most extensive compilation of surnames in America. The result of 10 years of research and 30 consulting editors, this massive undertaking documents 70,000 surnames of Americans across the country. A reference source like no other, it surveys each surname giving its meaning, nationality, alternate spellings, common forenames associated with it, and the frequency of each surname and forename. The Dictionary of American Family Names is a fascinating journey throughout the multicultural United States, offering a detailed look at the meaning and frequency of surnames throughout the country. For students studying family genealogy, others interested in finding out more about their own lineage, or lexicographers, the Dictionary is an ideal place to begin research.

From the most modern and unusual to old-fashion, historical favorites, you'll find over 15,000 names with the corresponding patron saint.

Containing 250 entries, each volume of theDictionary of World Biographycontains examines the lives of the individuals who shaped their times and left their mark on world history. Much more than a 'Who's Who', each entry provides an in-depth essay on the life and career of the individual concerned. Essays commence with a quick reference section that provides basic facts on the individual's life and achievements, and conclude with a fully annotated bibliography. The extended biography places the life and works of the individual within an historical context, and the summary at the end of each essay provides a synopsis of the individual's place in history. Any student in the field will want to have one of these as a handy reference companion.

This revised edition of the Dictionary of British Place-Names includes over 17,000 engaging and informative entries, tracing the development of the featured place-names from earliest times to the present day. Included place-names range from the familiar to the obscure, among them 'Beer', 'Findlater', 'Broadbottom', and 'Great Snoring'. The A to Z entries are complemented by a detailed introductory essay discussing the chronology and development of English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish place-names, as well as an extensive bibliography, maps of Britain showing old and new boundaries, and a glossary of common elements in place-names. Also new to this edition is an appendix of recommended web links pointing to relevant online resources, thereby expanding the scope of the dictionary and providing the reader with an opportunity to explore the subject further. Both accessible and up to date, this dictionary is an ideal companion for anybody travelling around the British Isles, as well as for researchers and students with an interest in toponomy, local history, cartography, and lexicography.

Over 15,000 A-Z entries covering England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, make this the most comprehensive and up-to-date dictionary of British place names available. From Abbas Combe to Zennor, it gives the meaning and origin of names of counties, towns, and villages, tracing their development from earliest times to the present day. Invaluable for anyone finding out about a local area, lexicographers and local historians alike will be fascinated by what these place-names reveal. The dictionary features an in-depth introductory essay which discusses the chronology and development of British place-names, different types of formation, and sections focusing on Irish, Welsh, and Scottish place-names. It also includes an extensive bibliography for further research, maps of Britain showing old and new boundaries, and provides a Glossary of common elements in place-names. This critically acclaimed dictionary has been described as 'an indispensable travellling companion' (Landscape History), and 'another volume for every local historian's bookshelf' (Local Historian).

For hundreds of years, the public house in its many guises, from urban gin palace to wayside coaching inn, has been a charming and quintessential feature of British life, and hence the names and signs associated with pubs are a constant reminder of our history, cultural heritage, folklore and local identity.The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pub Names is a fascinating compilation containing nearly five thousand absorbing entries and can be dipped into for fun or consulted on a serious level for intriguing and amusing information not readily available elsewhere. The local pub is an institution unique to the British Isles, but since English literature abounds with references to hostelries past and present, real and imagined, and no tourist's itinerary is complete without a visit to one or several on their route, its virtues are celebrated worldwide and readers everywhere will enjoy an affectionate and, perhaps, nostalgic browse through the pages of this entertaining dictionary.

Praised by reviewers as highly recommended, indispensable, and thorough, comprehensive, usable, and unquestionably useful, theChaucer Name Dictionary is the ultimate A-Z guide to the writer who stands at the head of the English curriculum. It provides full information on all the hundreds of proper names mentioned throughout Chaucer and essential to an understanding of his works. Each entry provides historical and/or literary definition, references to occurrences in Chaucer's works with explanations of the context, a list of related words, etymology, and a bibliography of primary and secondary works. Special Features The only reference source that identifies the hundreds of historical, literary, and mythological names mentioned in Chaucer, Provides reliable background information essential to understanding Chaucer's text, Alphabetical arrangement and clear format allow quick answers to reference questions, Includes an important Glossary of Astronomical and Astrological Terms, along with six astrological maps Suitable for courses in:Chaucer, Medieval English Poetry, Medieval Literature in Translation, Old and Middle English Literature, Glossary Also includes maps.

"Covers the key people, movements, institutions, practices, and doctrines of Roman Catholicism from its earliest origins."--Résumé de l'éditeur.