Chambers Concise Biographical Dictionary

This is, claims the preface, the first concise version of the Chambers Biographical Dictionary. The overall impression is of a densely packed, wide‐ranging, and up to date desk reference book. The typeface is rather small and the page‐layouts cramped, but with over 10,000 entries covered in 1,000 pages, it is excellent value for £15 (hardback). It is also a no‐fuss reference work; we go straight in with Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto, Biblical Patriarch Aaron, and US baseball player Hank Aaron, and finish with King Zog, Émile Zola, Zoroasta, Baron Zuckermann, Ulrich Zwingli and Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (b....