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''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', sometimes referred to simply as ''Brewer's'', is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions and figures, whether historical or mythical. The "Revised and Updated Edition" from the 1890s is now in the public domain, and web-based versions are available online. The most recent version is the 19th edition, published in August 2012 by Chambers Harrap Publishers. ==History== Originally published in 1870 by the Reverend E. Cobham Brewer, it was aimed at the growing number of people who did not have a university education, but wanted to understand the origins of phrases and historical or literary allusions. The 'phrase' part of the title refers mainly to the explanation of various idioms and proverbs, while the 'fable' part might more accurately be labelled 'folklore' and ranges from classical mythology to relatively recent literature. On top of this, Brewer added notes on important historical figures and events, and other things which he thought would be of interest, such as Roman numerals. Although intended as a comprehensive reference work, early editions of ''Brewer's'' are highly idiosyncratic, with certain editorial decisions highly suggestive of the author's personal bias. For instance, a list under the entry for ''John'' purported to show the bad luck associated with that name, ending "Certainly a disastrous list of Popes" despite several being described merely as "nonentities". Some entries seem so trivial as to be hardly worth including, and others are almost definitely apocryphal. Despite this inconsistency, however, the book was a huge success, providing information often not included in more traditional dictionaries and encyclopedias. A revised and updated edition was published in 1896, shortly before Brewer died. Since then, it has been continually revised and reprinted, often ''In Facsimile'', with the 15th edition being the first to make truly wide-scale changes to the content. Editors of ''Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'': * 1st (1870): E. Cobham Brewer * ?? (revised and updated; 1895/6): E. Cobham Brewer :''Various editions were published between 1870 and 1895. The numbers from this point onwards are apparently counted from the 1895 revised edition'' * 2nd (1953) * 3rd (1954) * 4th (1956) * 5th (1959) * 6th (1962) * 7th (1963) * 8th (1963) * 9th (1965): John Freeman * 10th (1968) * 11th "Centenary edition" (1970), revised by Ivor H. Evans. ISBN 0304935700 * 14th (1989) * 15th (1995): Adrian Room. ISBN 0062701339 * 16th "Millenium Edition" (1999) : Adrian Room. ISBN 0304345997 * 17th (2005): John Ayto. ISBN 0304357839 * 18th (2009): Camilla Rockwood. ISBN 9780550104113 * 19th (2012): Susie Dent. ISBN 9780550102454 〔http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2012/10/miscellany〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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