Pears Cyclopaedia 2003-2004 (Hardcover)

Its eclecticism is remarkable. Its 21 sections--still in a nostalgic late Victorian design--range from a political compendium to a literary companion, and from a dictionary of computing to background to world affairs. It's an atlas as well as a biblical concordance, gazetteer and history. And there's an excellent 80-page section on the world of science, arranged in seven parts, the last of which focuses on current developments.

Where else could you learn that 499 BC saw the "revolt of Ionian Greek cities against Persian King Darius", that in 1946 Lovely Cottage won the grand National while Airborne romped home first in the Derby and that Pantagruel is the leading character in one of the satires of Rabelais--all in a single volume almost small enough to go in a pocket? There's no doubt that if you were restricted to just one reference book this would have to be it.

Another plus for Pears is that it's always bang up to date. The 2003-2004 edition has new entries on SARS, Saddam Hussein, allergies, laser technology, the green city concept and the transport debate. --Susan Elkin

Amazon.co.uk Review
The annual publication of the Pears Cyclopaedia always reveals a wealth of knowledge and information, and the 108th edition is no exception.

Appropriately for the Millennium edition the book focuses on the changing world scene, with articles on the volatile