Product Description

"The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales" will become known as the definitive reference works about Wales, containing entries on all the people and places which have made it so culturally, historically and geographically rich. Everything is contained within the covers of this magnificent book; Snowdonia to the pampas of Patagonia, folk heroes to Welsh Olympians, and the men and women of Wales who have excelled in art, culture and politics. This will be the first time all this material has been drawn together in one place. With over 5000 entries ranging from 50 to over 5000 words and over 300 colour and black and white illustrations, it is an ambitious undertaking and long overdue. No other work has covered so many aspects of Wales' past, its people, places, arts, industries, environment and traditions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48509 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-31
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1059 pages

Review
Sumptuously produced and illustrated. As a general guide to all matters of Welshness, it seems to me a triumph. Whether in Welsh or English, it will be a cherished companion to the nation for generations to come. The book is not only an invaluable reference work, but also a great pleasure. --Jan Morris, The Times, March 1st 2008

A weighty and authoritative volume. --The Independent, Arts and Books Review, February 15th 2008

The Welsh now have their own sumptuously illustrated, thumping great encylcopaedia. It begins with A Oes Heddwch("Is there peace?" the ritural question put to the bards; and ends with Zulu [the classic film staring Welsh born actor Stanley Baker]. In between the these two entries lies a land of pure delight. --Ferdinand Mount, The Sunday Times, April 20th 2008

The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales is both a validation and a deepening of the Welsh experience. It is not just a dependable and companionable reference tool but it is also a joyous one, celebrating the complexity and extraordinary texture of this small, peninsular country. Its editors and publishers are deserving of our undying thanks for giving us such a marvellous guidebook to treasure, and which can guide us to treasure. --Jon Gower, New Welsh Review, No. 81

The Welsh now have their own sumptuously illustrated, thumping great encylcopaedia. It begins with A Oes Heddwch("Is there peace?" the ritural question put to the bards; and ends with Zulu [the classic film staring Welsh born actor Stanley Baker]. In between the these two entries lies a land of pure delight. --Ferdinand Mount, The Sunday Times, April 20th 2008

The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales is both a validation and a deepening of the Welsh experience. It is not just a dependable and companionable reference tool but it is also a joyous one, celebrating the complexity and extraordinary texture of this small, peninsular country. Its editors and publishers are deserving of our undying thanks for giving us such a marvellous guidebook to treasure, and which can guide us to treasure. --Jon Gower, New Welsh Review, No. 81

The Welsh now have their own sumptuously illustrated, thumping great encylcopaedia. It begins with A Oes Heddwch("Is there peace?" the ritural question put to the bards; and ends with Zulu [the classic film staring Welsh born actor Stanley Baker]. In between the these two entries lies a land of pure delight. --Ferdinand Mount, The Sunday Times, April 20th 2008

About the Author
As well as being one of the most significant poets in his field, Nigel Jenkins has won acclaim in other genres, most notably for his history of the Welsh in India, Gwalia in Khasia, which won the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year award. Menna Baines, who is well-known as a former editor of Barn, will take prime responsibility for the Welsh language volume, and assisting and guiding the editors is John Davies who acts as editorial consultant.

Customer Reviews

A monumental achievement!
Considering it a sad omission that no one has yet seen fit to comment, I thought I would present my own 'humble offering'.

The many individuals involved in bringing this work into being are to be hugely congratulated. The design and execution are superb and the whole is richly illustrated. Given that reference works aren't generally amenable to 'reinvention', the unobtrusive and cleanly set page design can be ajudged successful by the very fact that it doesn't draw attention to itself and instead lets the content 'speak for itself'.

In this era of the rapid availability of online information at "one's fingertips" it is useful to be reminded that there is still a place for intelligently conceived and rigorous print reference works on important themes.

This one weaves together those elements that may be said to constitute the "idea" of Wales, from history, linguistics, geography, geology and the other sciences, to popular culture, biography and other specialised themes. It brings together in a readable form information that previously would have been available only to the dedicated reader in a variety of more specialised publications - for that reason alone it is invaluable.

It also serves to firmly root the history & culture of this region within the broader frames of britain, europe and beyond. It also helps to establish once and for all that there is more to Wales than just "the valleys" (hugely important though their contribution has been).

As someone who is fascinated by the Welsh language, the lucid treatment of linguistic development, and referencing of the important texts has helped to consolidate my own interests in this area.

In addition, biographical treatments of individuals such as Edward Lhuyd help to counter the image of Wales as an intellectual 'backwater' - without the sense of retrospective revisionism being employed!

I have also picked-up countless pieces of new information just skimming through the pages.

BE AWARE that biographical entries are restricted to those deceased. Without this knowledge, some confusion may arise for readers. The decision is a bold, but understandable one, as an individual's story is alas only complete after their demise...Thus, a number of important current figures do not figure as named entries - although their important may be hinted at within other entries. There is no doubt scope for appendices to the main work as, sadly, more individuals become 'eligible' for inclusion.

No doubt in order to make a manageable volume the text is printed on paper of relative thinness, although of fine quality. This does mean that there is an occasional manifestation of image shadowing - but it must be underlined that this does not detract from one's enjoyment of the work and is an inevitable compromise.

I, for one, shall be constantly referring to it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

Understanding Wales
This is so reader friendly that you can flip through the massive book picking up gem after gem without being submerged in academia! It has everything/everybody/everyplace I wished to find. It brings North, Mid and South Wales together when necessary and yet it expresses the differences too. It is well worth the expense.