Brewer's Curious Titles

CROFTON, Ian (compiler)

ISBN 10: 0304361305 / ISBN 13: 9780304361304

Published by U.K / Cassell, 2002

About this Item

This tells the often intriguing, and sometimes surprising, stories behind an array of titles of works of literature, music and the visual arts. Arranged in simple A-Z order by title, it explains the meanings of, and reasons for, the titles of more than 1500 famous and not-so-famous novels, films, poems, plays, paintings and works of classical music. Embracing titles as diverse and as baffling as Flann O'Brien's AT SWIM TWO-BIRDS and Salvador Dali's ATMOSPHERIC SKULL SODOMIZING A GRAND PIANO, BREWER'S CURIOUS TITLES serves up a feast of explanation, allusion, quotation and hidden meaning that will satisfy the appetite of the most inquisitive of cultural magpies. This is a 1st edition paperback in fine condition. (548 pages & 9 pages of introduction).

Seller Inventory # 6972

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Brewer's Curious Titles
• Publisher: U.K / Cassell
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0304361305
• ISBN 13: 9780304361304
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Seller catalogs:
  • MUSIC
  • DICTIONARY & REFERENCE
  • LITERARY BIOGRAPHY & ASSORTED

About this title

Synopsis

Find the origins of obscure titles of over 1,500 films, novels, plays, paintings, and musical compositions. Some are humorous or ironic, others risqué or purposely baffling. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is an ironic reference to blacked-out news reports while thousands of soldiers were dying. "Hobson's Choice," a 1916 play, comes from liveryman Thomas Hobson (c.1544-1631) who always offered customers the horse nearest the door of the stable, and no other. A "Yankee Doodle" comes from the Dutch pejorative, a Jan Kees (John Cheese), meaning an arrogant fellow. See how many films and books you can list with insects in the title, or that start with "I Was a..." or "I Married a...". Then see how many you missed.

About the Author

Ian Crofton is a freelance writer and editor. His publications include A DICTIONARY OF MUSICAL QUOTATIONS (with Donald Fraser) and A DICTIONARY OF ART QUOTATIONS, and he was editor-in-chief of THE GUINNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA. He contributed entries on history, music and art to BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF MODERN PHRASE AND FABLE, and has written articles for a number of other children's and adults' reference books.