The Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, 18th edition (BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE)

いまどき紙ベースの書籍、それも辞書の類は非常に使いづらいのですが、この辞書を先週のＤＩＤで Celia Imrie 女史が私の1冊として挙げてみえたので興味を覚えております。またいつもの Amazon、ということになってしまいそうですね。
以下、英国 Amazon での最新の読者レビュー。

☆☆☆☆☆
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable - The world's only reference book that entertains as well, 21 Jan 2011
By Victor Tugelbend (Hull, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I first came across this book while reading some Oscar Wilde. I wanted to understand some reference to Greek Mythology that he was making, went to the library and picked up this fascinating tome. I didn't find out what I wanted to know, but I was immediately sucked in to a wonderful world of knowledge and fact and spent the rest of the day reading this, the original Wilde story long forgotten.

This is a great miscellany of cultural references, phrases and names, explaining who what where and when with clarity and humour. It's an invaluable reference work allowing you to look up with ease all those snippets of information that everyone else seems to be conversant with. But more than a reference book, it is a great read that will entertain and inform you. Every book lover should own a copy.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brewers-Dictionary-Phrase-Fable-Chambers/dp/0550104119/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298196044&sr=1-1

Victor Tugelbend: List of Discworld characters by region
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Discworld_characters_by_region#Victor_Tugelbend
Terry Pratchett
http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld/
（追記）
後日、本書に、何と日本語バージョンがあることを知り、これには驚かされました。まるで小学館のランダムハウスの辞書並ではないですか。これは何としても現物を見てみなければならないでしょう。

ブルーワー英語故事成語大辞典