Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Edited by Susie Dent, this new edition contains an intriguing supplement of Brewer’s Gems – facts, fables and curiosities from Brewer collections of the past. Its pages brim with esoteric and entertaining entries – everything from curious customs to the world of newspapers and political alliances of yesteryear – all seen through the distinctive Brewer lens.

This nineteenth edition of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable encapsulates all the charm and wit that characterise its predecessors and maintains the standards of scholarship and eclecticism that have long been its hallmark. This unique edition has been thoroughly updated with over 100 new and revised entries – think crowdsourcing, cyberpunk, iPad and mash-up – guaranteed to delight, entertain and inspire in the best Brewer’s tradition. Also included are twenty special entries that encapsulate the enticing spirit of the dictionary. Discover Brewer’s take on angels, heraldry, pub signs and recluses and delve into the lexicographical world of the eggcorn. Whether you’re a committed Brewerphile or a newcomer to its pages of fascinating entries, this edition will draw you in and keep you glued to its rich mix of eccentric nuggets.

The Chambers Thesaurus sells more copies, and contains more synonyms, than any other English thesaurus. The 5th edition (2015) retains the much-loved features of The Chambers Thesaurus, but also includes a new two-colour Word Lover’s Gallimaufry, showing how English words and definitions have changed in recent years.

The Chambers Thesaurus is now the UK’s number 1 selling hardback thesaurus. It is regarded as the thesaurus of choice for crossword setters and solvers, and is popular with players of wordgames such as Scrabble® and Words With Friends®. It is famous for its Scottish heritage, its thorough coverage of obscure words and its unique personality.

“Chambers stands out like a baroque mansion in a city of faceless concrete.” Melvyn Bragg

The Chambers Thesaurus draws on the resources of its companion volume, The Chambers Dictionary, to offer the richest range of synonyms and antonyms available, making it a must for writers, puzzle and wordgame enthusiasts, and everyone who loves words. This edition has been updated with new vocabulary and includes hundreds of quotations and proverbs, helping you add sparkle to your writing and making the book even more of a pleasure to browse through.

The new edition of the bestselling reference for crossword solvers and setters – now in paperback.

The Chambers Crossword Dictionary is the perfect tool for any crossword solver – and you know it because it is used by the setters themselves!

What makes_ The Chambers Crossword Dictionary_ different? Comprehensive, reliable and easy-to-use, this major new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated by a team of crossword experts, and is specially tailored to the needs of crossword solvers. With more than 500,000 solutions to cryptic and quick clues, plus explanations of cryptic clue types and the use of anagram and other indicators, and insights into the world of crossword setting and memorable clues, it is truly the ultimate crossword bible.

This new edition features:

– Over 500,000 solutions for every kind of crossword
– More than 2,500 crossword code words alerting you to cryptic ploys – Over 19,500 ‘one-stop’ entries, with both synonyms and encyclopaedic material, for extra guidance in finding the right answer
– A wealth of recent synonyms to give you up-to-the-minute answers
– New topic lists to help you solve general-knowledge clues
– Word lists sorted by length and then alphabetically to make finding solutions easy
– Includes words, phrases, abbreviations, symbols, codes and other cryptic ‘building blocks’
– Packed with crossword jargon, anagram and other indicators and essential cryptic vocabulary
– Draws on the latest Chambers Dictionary and the authoritative Chambers reference range

It is packed with expert advice and editorial from:

– Derek Arthur (1945-2010), co-editor of The Listener crossword in The Times and of The Chambers Crossword Dictionary, 2nd edition
– Ross Beresford, former co-editor of The Listener crossword
– Peter Biddlecombe, The Sunday Times crossword editor and The Times Crossword Championship winner (2000, 2007)
– Jonathan Crowther, better known to cryptic crossword solvers as Azed, having set crosswords for The Observer for over 40 years
– Don Manley, crossword setter for many quality newspapers under various pseudonyms (Duck, Quixote, Bradman, Giovanni), and Church Times crossword editor
– Tim Moorey, crossword setter for The Sunday Times and The Times, and crossword editor and setter for The Week and MoneyWeek magazines. He is author of How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords

Chambers is one of the world’s most respected dictionary and thesaurus publishers.

• Discover kings, queens, crooks, criminals, politicians, bankers and everyone in between
• Check up on great achievements and great failures
• Find out who did what to whom
• Thousands of suggestions for further reading
• Contains more biographies than any other reference work of its type
• International and historical coverage of all areas of human achievement including the arts, science, technology, sport, politics, philosophy and business
• Meticulously researched and expertly written

First published in 1897, Chambers Biographical Dictionary is the most comprehensive and readable single-volume biographical dictionary available.

The ninth edition has been thoroughly updated and remains wide-ranging and international in scope, offering concise, authoritative and illuminating entries on individuals from Alexander the Great to Frank Zappa, and from Barack Obama to Osama Bin Laden.

“Incomparably the best” – The Sunday Times

“Simply all you need to know about anyone” – Fay Weldon

“Chambers Biographical Dictionary is quite easily the best reference book in the world” – Sunday Telegraph

Word-sourcing

Chambers appreciate that its readers are passionate about words and with this in mind we offered readers the chance to enter their own suggestions to be published in the new 13th edition.

Unrivalled help for wordgames

Chambers is the dictionary of choice for crossword solvers, Scrabble © fans and wordgame enthusiasts.

The widest choice of words

The Chambers 13th edition contains more words, phrases and meanings than its predecessors and more than any other single-volume English dictionary.

Perfectly flat

The Chambers Dictionary will lie perfectly flat on a desk, ensuring the whole page is visible, even definitions leading into the spine.

Word Lover’s Miscellany

Includes an all-new ‘Word Lover’s Miscellany’ section which focuses on the history of Chambers and the important words and quirky definitions which have been added in each of the 13 editions back to 1872.

Beautiful yet durable

Proving yet again that Chambers is the dictionary of choice for providing luxurious finishing touches, the 13th edition includes two ribbons, a strong cloth binding built to last and an extra durable dust jacket.

Enrich your English

The Chambers Dictionary keeps definitions short, creating space for more intriguing, obscure and historically charged entries.

Foiled Cover

Beautiful bespoke foiling makes Chambers stand out as the dictionary of distinction.