From hardy Nantucket whalers to Elizabethan sea dogs, from grizzled fishermen in Nova Scotia to the crews of clipper ships, the men who made their living on the sea left as part of their legacy a remarkable contribution to the English language. An astonishing variety of words, sayings, and idiomatic expressions are explained in alphabetically organized entries in this authoritative and entertaining work. Illustrations

In approximately 200 articles ranging from one paragraph to several pages and covering everything from John Adams to the Whiskey Rebellion, Grizzard (political science, Middle Tennessee State Univ.) gives us anyone, anyplace, or anything at all relevant to George Washington. Each of the alphabetically arranged entries includes the topic or name, the date, the significance to Washington, cross references to related entries in the book, and a short bibliography; sometimes, extensive background information is given that thoroughly explains the topic's place in Washington's life.

The most comprehensive women's biographical dictionary on the market. Unlike other women-focused dictionaries, most of which focus on a small number of famous women, this two-volume dictionary contains more than 20,000 brief biographical entries. Created by the same editorial team that produced the Dartmouth Award-winning "Women in World History", this ambitious work will profile women throughout time and throughout the world. The concise, fact-filled entries will provide instant access to a particular woman's personal background and significance in history.