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  • Published: 16 November 2004
  • ISBN: 9780141013985
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $39.99

The Penguin Dictionary of First Names



The Reference Relaunch is a major event in reference publishing - Penguin Dictionaries are getting a brand new look

What's in a name? Rather more than you might at first suspect, for names are steeped in history and myth and have much to tell us about our past, our beliefs - even our personality traits. Now fully updated for its second edition, with 150 new entries, The Penguin Dictionary of First Names takes a close look at over 5,000 examples, ranging from the familiar to the comparatively obscure, drawn from all parts of the English-speaking world. Detailed and informative, it is essential reading for expectant parents and for anyone who is intrigued by the story attached to each name.

  • Published: 16 November 2004
  • ISBN: 9780141013985
  • Imprint: Penguin Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $39.99

About the author

David Pickering

David Pickering is an experienced reference books compiler who has contributed to (and often been sole author and editor of) some 150 reference books, mostly in the areas of the arts, language, local history and popular interest. These include an Encyclopedia of Pantomime (1993), a Soccer Companion (1994; 1997), a Dictionary of Superstitions (1995) a Dictionary of Witchcraft (1996) and a Dictionary of Proverbs (2001;2003). He is also the author of Perfect Pub Quiz. He lives in Buckingham with his wife and two sons.

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