British culture, like the proverbial elephant seized by several
blindfolded persons, appears a very different beast depending on
where you take hold of it. The entries in this encyclopedia are
united by the term ‘British’ but separated by the stratifications
of a ‘culture’ that has never been still and always been in a state
of flux.
The Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture brings together subjects which would probably never be found alongside each other in any other book. The entries vary in length from long assessments of changes in major cultural fields to short synopses of the careers of key individuals. The book is a compendium of many different and wide-ranging subject areas. Each area has a list of entries which has been designed in a particular way. This means that there are entries on many film directors, for example, but there are no entries on authors: the literature section is designed in terms of genre and market, not personality and industry. The Encyclopedia is arranged in alphabetical order so that unlikely bedfellows may stimulate the browser or casual reader.
The Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture brings together subjects which would probably never be found alongside each other in any other book. The entries vary in length from long assessments of changes in major cultural fields to short synopses of the careers of key individuals. The book is a compendium of many different and wide-ranging subject areas. Each area has a list of entries which has been designed in a particular way. This means that there are entries on many film directors, for example, but there are no entries on authors: the literature section is designed in terms of genre and market, not personality and industry. The Encyclopedia is arranged in alphabetical order so that unlikely bedfellows may stimulate the browser or casual reader.