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Title: The Oxford Companion to the Year by Bonnie Blackburn, Leofranc Holford-Stevens, Leofranc Holford-Strevens ISBN: 0-19-214231-3 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $75.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The most thorough calender reference available
Comment: This 937 page reference work of calendar customs and time-reckoning is a modern day version of Robert Chambers's "Book of Days" (1864), and is now surely THE definitive reference work on the subject. For every day of the year (including February 30, which has been observed three times in past calendars, once in Sweden and twice in the Soviet Union), there is a listing of the date (e.g., 25 Abril), the Roman date (e.g., a.d. VII Kalendas Maias), a list of Holidays and Anniversaries (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga: ANZAC Day) or Holy Days (e.g., Mark the Evangelist) or perhaps something from Ancient Rome (e.g., "On this day was held the ceremony for keeping rust off crops, the Robigalia,"). Moreover, there are usually one or two paragraphs given to explain the origins of various holidays or as biographical background. Sometimes poems or literary excerpts are inserted to further enliven the entry. Additionally, a generous amount of humor and bonhomie are sprinkled throughout the text.
Other calendar customs such as the moveable feasts of the western church year, days of the week, Red-Letter days, Dog Days, terms at Oxford or Cambridge, Handsel Monday, Thanksgiving, or the Lord Mayor's Show each have their own entries and explanations. Part II follows, with investigation into calendars and chronology. Here the international scope of the book receives greater exposure, with discussion of the Roman Calendar, Chinese Calendar, Egyptian Calendar, Greek Calendar, Hindu Calendar, Jewish Calendar, Muslim Calendar, Anglo-Saxon Calendar, or Celtic Calendar being some of the many discussed. Explanations of the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, calculating the date of Easter, use of symbolic calendars, as well as many other topics round out a thoroughly researched section.
My only demurring remark about this excellent book is that sometimes the academic writing can be a little dry and murky, drifting into the pedantic, so that at times I found myself nodding off to sleep. This style of presentation also led to occasional difficulties when trying to understand the discussion at hand. Nevertheless, on the whole, the book is most interesting. A great deal of research obviously went into this wonderfully thorough and accurate reference work. It may be used either as a source for information, or alternatively its daily entries may be read throughout the year as a short daily entertainment. To sum, it is a book well worth obtaining.
Rating: 5
Summary: An absolute treasure chest!
Comment: More than just a scholarly reference, this mind-bogglingly comprehensive book is masterfully written and offers something for everyone. From the historical significance and traditions of each day of the year to the calendars and time-reckoning systems used all over the world throughout history, the Oxford Companion to the Year is chock-full of obscure bits of history, poems, quotations, and illustrations. Absolutely fascinating reading--a must-have for the new millennium!
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Title: Mapping Time: The Calendar and Its History by E. G. Richards ISBN: 0192862057 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Marking Time: The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar by Duncan Steel, Duncan Steel ISBN: 0471404217 Publisher: Wiley Pub. Date: 08 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Calendrical Calculations: The Millennium Edition by Edward M. Reingold, Nachum Dershowitz ISBN: 0521777526 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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Title: The Oxford Book of Days by Bonnie Blackburn, Leofranc Holford-Strevens ISBN: 0198662602 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Revolution in Time: Clocks and the Making of the Modern World by David S. Landes ISBN: 0674002822 Publisher: Belknap Press Pub. Date: 21 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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