Books by Dorothy Auchter

Jezebel is an example of an eponym, a person whose name has evolved into a common noun or verb. In addition to eponyms, the English language is peppered with historical allusions that have become disassociated from their original context. How many people realize that the phrase "mad as a hatter" refers to the dementia suffered by Victorian hatmakers, who were poisoned by the mercury used in their craft? This work is the first reference book in English specifically devoted to uncovering the origins of these unique words and phrases. It provides a concise definition of the contemporary meaning of each term, followed by a detailed explanation of the events that gave rise to it. The 750 entries encompass allusions and eponyms from all eras of history.

The Tudor and Stuart eras have been described as England's golden age, in large part because of the flowering of its literary and dramatic culture. Ironically, repressive government controls over freedom of expression existed side-by-side with some of the greatest literary accomplishments of the age. The 92 entries in this reference book highlight the major issues which could provoke the wrath of the censor, the ways in which works were modified in response to censorship, and the fate of the authors who faced the censor's wrath. Although there is a wealth of information on censorship in the twentieth century, this is one of the few reference works to address censorship during the Renaissance.