BS: Help biographical dictionary

Subject: Help biographical dictionary
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:54 AM

Hoping the knowledge base here can help... My father enjoys crosswords but has been finding it frustrating that he hasn't got a good reference to look up areas involving people such as film stars.

The reference book he has is the 5th edition (1990) of Chambers Biographical Dictionary. I know there is a 1997 edition of this book but there maybe several other books worth considering.

My attempts at searching Amazon yeilded around 900 results in the category I looked at - rather more than I wish to wade through.

Can anyone make any suggestions/ reccomendations.

Thanks,

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:59 AM

the current years' 'World Almanac' might have more up to date pop culture references. Bio Dictionaries, even more recent ones tend to include just the most important people (deemed so by them) and not the more obscure folk that would turn up in a decent (London TImes?) crossword puzzle.

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Big Tim
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 11:55 AM

Chambers, 6th ed, 1997, is great value at £20, paperback. Slightly Scottish biased, reflecting it's origins. A great read apart from film stars!

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: mack/misophist
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:20 PM

I should think a crossword puzzel dictionary would do it. You know, though that using a dictionary is cheating.

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:37 PM

The World Almanac is the best I've found- it includes many that are not considered worthy of a biographical dictionary. I also have an old one (1970s) because older "stars" are dropped to make room for some new one's 15 minutes of fame.
The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Dictionary would also be a nice present for him.
Cheating? Puzzle makers employ everything, from the OED to atlases to special dictionaries to Bartlett's Quotations to thesauruses to foreign language primers to ......!

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:52 PM

Dicho, I perhaps should have said we are in the UK as someone recently - I think from the Annexe, pointed me to a reasonably straight forward crossword that none of us could make much impression on because of differences in "general knowledge"...

That said, I will look up the World Almanac and the Ney York Times Dictionary - thanks (and thanks to all so far),

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 01:27 PM

Using a dictionary isn't cheating with cryptic crosswords, where getting te right word is only a small part of the game. You've got to be able to understand the raltionship between the clue and the answer, or it doesn't count.

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 01:31 PM

Web Biographical Resources:

Hollybood Actors and their Roles IMDB (Internet Movie Database)

General Biographies Biography.com

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 01:38 PM

Wincing Devil- your typo Hollybood suggested a new word to me- Hollyboobs.

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 02:44 PM

I'm still trying to figure out what "Bollywood" is. I thinks it's India's Movie Capital.

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 03:08 PM

so Wobblyboobs are labor organizers? :)} (bearded smiley face!, or is that a single boob?)

Bollywood is Bombay (now Mumbai), India's film capital

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 07:28 PM

Thanks McGrath. I didn't see the crossword that persuaded my father to ask me if I could help him find a book but I believe it was one he was trying (with Tim, a visiting son) from the Manchester Guardian. I think he said some knowledge of films that Ginger Rogers (apparently she was not "worthy" of an entry in his 'Chambers') had been in would have helped towards solving the puzzle.

As you said, it's not a cheat - in some cases, you need some information either to make sense of a clue or to confirm your answer. I am not much of a crossword doer but occasionally I tackle the cryptic on in my parents "daily" (The Daily Telegraph). I do "fit" words in from time to time but I am never happy unless I feel I have understood the clue and why my answer is correct.

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Help biographical dictionary
From: Hrothgar
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 08:46 PM

If "wobblyboobs" are labour organisers, do they concentrate on workers in the sex industry?