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Grahame, Kenneth

(Encyclopedia)Grahame, Kenneth grāˈəm [key], 1859–1931, English author. He was a secretary in the Bank of England from 1908 until 1918. His works, noted for their humor and charm, include The Golden Age (1895)...

Gjellerup, Karl Adolf

(Encyclopedia)Gjellerup, Karl Adolf kärl äˈdôlf yĕlˈəro͝op [key], 1857–1919, Danish poet and novelist, b. Sjæland. His early novels, naturalistic and partly autobiographical, include The Young Denmark (1...

Goldman, Edwin Franko

(Encyclopedia)Goldman, Edwin Franko, 1878–1956, American bandmaster and composer, b. Louisville, Ky.; pupil of Dvořák at the National Conservatory of Music, New York City. He played solo cornet in the Metropoli...

Goliath

(Encyclopedia)Goliath gōlīˈəth [key], in the Bible, a giant of Gath, a Philistine city, who challenged the Israelites. The young David, fortified by faith, accepted the challenge and killed him with a stone fro...

initiation

(Encyclopedia)initiation, the transition and attendant ceremonies, such as ordeals and rites, involved in passing from one state or status to another, often from childhood to adulthood. It was among the most import...

Crompton, Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Crompton, Samuel, 1753–1827, English inventor of the mule spinner, or muslin wheel, an important step in the development of fine cotton spinning. Working as a young man in a spinning mill, he knew t...

Albany, Louisa, countess of

(Encyclopedia)Albany, Louisa, countess of ôlˈbənē [key], 1752–1824, wife of Charles Edward Stuart (the Young Pretender), self-styled count of Albany; daughter of a German noble, the prince of Stolberg-Gedern....

Bach, Johann Christian

(Encyclopedia)Bach, Johann Christian bäkh [key], 1735–82, German musician and composer; son of J. S. Bach. He went to Italy in 1754, became a Roman Catholic, and composed church music and operas. In 1760 he bec...

pokeweed

(Encyclopedia)pokeweed or pokeberry, tall, bushy perennial herb (Phytolacca americana) native to North America but cultivated and naturalized in Europe. The long clusters of white flowers are followed by purplish b...

Newcastle disease

(Encyclopedia)Newcastle disease, pneumoencephalitis, acute viral disease of domestic poultry. Newcastle disease is characterized by sneezing, coughing, and nervous behavior. Affected birds may show tremors, circlin...