And that's a fact

Chambers Concise Biographical Dictionary, Chambers Harrap, £14.99

BET you didn't know Maggie Thatcher was the daughter of that bloke off Coronation Street. You know, the big one who was married to Audrey?

Don't believe me? Well, here it is hot from the pages of the Chambers Concise Biographical Dictionary. "Thatcher, Margaret Hilda, Baroness, nee Roberts ... born in Grantham, the daughter of Alderman Alfred Roberts, a grocer."

Oops, sorry, got mixed up. Mistook one Alf for another. Easily done.

Everybody loves nosing in the private details of other people's lives. The trouble with dictionaries like this is that they tend to be dull and factual. Great if you want to know that the term 'dunce' comes from the 13th century Scottish philosopher Duns Scotus, or that actor Richard E Grant's real name is Richard Esterhuysen.

But what about the juicier stuff? Look up Bill Clinton and you learn he was a popular and charismatic president, whose term saw "low inflation and unemployment, and a focus on promoting peace on the international stage".

And Bill the great philanderer? There's passing reference to "some scandal" and even mention of Monica Lewinsky - but not a word, sadly, about cigars.

With more than 10,000 entries, covering leading figures in every field of human achievement from the arts, science, technology and sport to business and popular culture, this is a serious reference work, however, which, for the first time, makes the authority of the Chambers Biographical Dictionary available in a cheaper, more accessible form. SL

Chambers Book of Facts, ed Anderson, McGovern, Norris Chambers, £14.99

EVER had a nagging question that you can't get out of your head? That is the kind of question the Chambers Book of Facts sets out to answer.

When I returned from Northumberland wondering what its capital was - goodness knows why - I went straight to this book. Umm, err, well. The question continued to nag until I found an old copy of Whitaker's Almanack.

But while searching through Chambers, I did find all sorts of fascinating information. Did you know that a nebuchadnessar is a container that holds the equivalent of 20 standard wine bottles, or that ouranophobia is a fear of heaven?

The Book of Facts should have a health warning along the lines of: reading this will seriously waste your time. It is easy to get side-tracked.

Many sections contain information not found elsewhere, such as extensive conversion tables from imperial to metric and vice versa, and comparative European, American and British clothes and shoe sizes.

At times, the editors have difficulty distinguishing fact from comment, particularly in the countries and history section. And the sports section has its idiosyncrasies. The Olympic Games venues are listed up to 2008 but in general only past winners of World Championships are given.

All in all, a book worth having, provided you accept its limitations.

By the way, Morpeth is the capital of Northumberland. MR

Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases, £7.99; Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art & Artists, £7.99; Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names, £8.99 All paperback.

OXFORD is updating and re-releasing its bestselling paperback reference series - which features more than 100 titles - in snappy new matching covers.

With most volumes priced at £7.99 or £8.99, this should be good news for anyone who is keen to build up a handy reference library that isn't going to break the bank.

The re-branding began in August and by the end of next month, 26 of the titles will have been published in the new editions. The rest will follow, covering everything from Archaeology and Slang to Euphemisms and Astronomy.

So how do they rate? I dipped into three to find out.

The problem with something as ephemeral as catchphrases is that they tend to date. Yesterday's catchphrase is today's blank look on your listener's face.

The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases falls into this trap. Although it is laudably detailed about the catchphrases it chooses, many fall into the "whatchoo talking about?" category; and although it tries to be up-to-date, this inevitably leads to inclusion of some from the "famous for 15 minutes" group. A book for a nostalgic dip into at the library, not necessarily to buy.

The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art and Artists, however, could feature on a Christmas gift list. Again some will disagree with what it includes or leaves out, but it is definitely worth having at hand when reading an art gallery's description of a piece of art, and puts art into a social context. Do you know what a consular diptych is? Neither did I until I picked up this dictionary and read the appropriate entry with its comment on Roman high society. Even an art philistine can find much of interest in here.

Last, but not least, the Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names. As a wordsmith, I have always been fascinated with how places reveal their history in their names.

The introduction on the different elements of place names and which invading people contributed what is a worthwhile read in itself. If only I could be sure that the explanations about the hundreds of place names are wholly accurate.

For example, it assumes that York is merely a corruption of Eboracum (said to be an ancient Celtic name meaning Eburos' estate or yew-tree estate) and doesn't mention Jorvik. MR

Updated: 09:48 Wednesday, October 22, 2003