Miscellany: Mini-review: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | The Economist

Miscellany: Mini-review: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | The Economist

"It's an odd book, and this new edition sets out explaining what it is not. Its original compiler, Ebenezer Brewer, said that it is 'not an Historic Dictionary.' Susie Dent, today's editor, also notes that it is 'not just a reference book, nor is it a single read; it is not entirely objective... it is not a straightforward dictionary, nor is it an encyclopaedia. It is, in fact, unlike any other reference book that exists, anywhere.'"