(Encyclopedia) rammed earth, material consisting chiefly of soil of sufficiently stiff consistency that has been placed in forms and pounded down. It has been used for buildings and walls since…
(Encyclopedia) porpoise, small whale of the family Phocaenidae, allied to the dolphin. Porpoises, like other whales, are mammals; they are warm-blooded, breathe air, and give birth to live young,…
You never know when disaster will strike. If it does, it’s important to be prepared. Your life—or the lives of others—may depend on knowing how get out of a…
(Encyclopedia) Fonda, Peter, 1939–2019, American actor. The son of Henry Fonda and brother of Jane Fonda, he made his screen debut in a forgettable 1963 feature. Several movies later he co-wrote and…
(Encyclopedia) Montalvo, JuanMontalvo, Juanhwän môntälˈvō [key], 1832–89, Ecuadorean essayist and political writer. A champion of liberalism and a master of political invective, he showered fiery…
(Encyclopedia) Martínez Ruiz, JoséMartínez Ruiz, Joséhōsāˈ märtēˈnĕth r&oomacr;ēthˈ [key], 1873?–1967, Spanish writer. He often used the pseudonym Azorín. A political radical in the 1890s, he…
(Encyclopedia) Lehn, Jean-MarieLehn, Jean-MariezhäNˈ-märēˈ lĕN [key], 1939–, French chemist, Ph.D. Univ. of Strasbourg, 1963. A professor at Louis Pasteur Univ. (1970–78) and the Collège de France (…
(Encyclopedia) Słowacki, JuliuszSłowacki, Juliuszy&oomacr;lˈy&oomacr;sh slôvätsˈkē [key], 1809–49, Polish writer, one of the foremost Polish romantic poets. A revolutionist, he joined the…
(Encyclopedia) Bedford, Sybille, 1911–2006, English writer, b. Charlottenberg, Germany, as Sybille von Schoenebeck. She worked as a legal reporter for various publications, covering more than 100…
(Encyclopedia) Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien)Tolkien, J. R. R.tälˈkēn, tōlˈ– [key], 1892–1973, British novelist, b. South Africa. A fantasy writer and Oxford don, Tolkien wrote The…
