Description: For the legions of American readers of British fiction, as well as viewers of British film and television imports, this helpful and entertaining guide defines the kinds of things that British authors thought needed no explanation. Part dictionary, part guidebook, part almanac, it deals with British culture in general, comprising entries on hundreds of terms, items, and names that have the potential to confuse readers who know only American English. A true "companion" to British literature, it encompasses not authors and literary history, but slang, bureaucracy, political, legal, and social customs and institutions--the stuff of historical and contemporary daily life as reflected in fiction. Organized alphabetically, the dictionary also features six appendixes providing background information and an extensive bibliography.

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