The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales

by John Davies (Editor), Nigel Jenkins (Editor), Menna Baines (Editor)

What do the Gresford Bells, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Jones, some of the world’s greatest snooker players and Formula One drivers, laverbread, the Manic Street Preachers, the leek, Spencer Davis, and Bertrand Russell have in common?
 
They’re all native to Wales!
 
This definitive work of reference—which reveals the storied histories of all of the above Welsh exports, as well as everything you need to know about this remarkable, fascinating, and iconoclastic principality—will undoubtedly be one of the most important books published in the history of Wales. Running the gamut of in-depth research and thought-provoking knowledge—from folk heroes to rock stars, ancient bards to Dylan Thomas, and all the men and women in between who have excelled in art, culture, politics, commerce, and sport—this thrilling volume provides easily accessible information on any aspect of Wales and Welsh life, past and present, letting you know why this centuries-old nation enjoys the nickname, “Cool Cymru.”
 
In the 2002 census, 24 million Americans claimed Welsh ancestry—Donny Osmond, Susan Sarandon, and Hilary Clinton among them—and the high-profile Welsh celebrities who occupy the headlines of art and leisure are almost too numerous too list (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Richard Burton, and Naomi Watts, to name a few). This unsurpassed volume, ten years in the making, includes over 3,300 entries on the notable personalities, rich histories, eye-opening etymologies, nationalist revivals, breathtaking geographies, and absorbing cultural, religious, athletic, culinary, and musical traditions that help define this spectacular nation. Accompanied by over 300 full color images, this celebration of the Welsh nation’s past and present is an absolutely essential item for anyone with an interest in the wonderfully diverse heritage of a truly incredible nation.

Genres: Reference

1059 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2008

About the author

John Davies (1938-2015) was a Welsh historian and a television and radio broadcaster. After teaching Welsh history at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, he retired to Cardiff and appeared frequently as a presenter and contributor to history programmes on television and radio.

In the mid-eighties, Davies was commissioned to write a concise history of Wales by Penguin Books to add to its Pelican series of the histories of nations. The decision by Penguin to commission the volume in Welsh was "unexpected and highly commendable," wrote Davies. "I seized the opportunity to write of Wales and the Welsh. When I had finished, I had a typescript which was almost three times larger than the original commission," wrote Davies. The original voluminous typescript was first published in hardback under the Allen Lane imprint. Davies took a sabbatical from his post at the University College of Wales and wrote most of the chapters while touring Europe. Hanes Cymru was translated into English and published in 1993, as there was "a demand among English-speakers to read what was already available to Welsh-speakers," wrote Davies. A revised edition was published (in both languages) in 2007.

In 2005, Davies received the Glyndŵr Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales during the Machynlleth Festival. He won the 2010 Wales Book of the Year for Cymru: Y 100 lle i'w gweld cyn marw.

Reviews

[Sam]

You can't help but be impressed by the amount of information in this book (and yes I did read the whole d*mn thing), it is well researched, excellently written and has some stunning photographs and illustrations. Granted it doesn't cover every single aspect of Wales (can you imagine how big that book would need to be) but it covers so much to get you started, complete with cross-references within the book itself to help guide the reader/researcher/student/curious mind through the complexities of Wales. The writing itself is very accessible and despite the huge number of contributors is still consistant in its tone and style throughout the book, which one would imagine was no mean feat. A superb book both for the general reader whose partial to an unusual fact or to and for the student of Wales and its many aspects this book makes a great addition to any library, coffee table or reference pile.

[Yasmin]

Quite an interesting treasure trove of information, however, those persons and things that were lacking an entry is rather baffling, e.g. Anthony Hopkins. I also found it rather odd of the use of Americanised spellings throughout.