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Prester John

(Encyclopedia)Prester John, legendary Christian priest and monarch of a vast, wealthy empire in Asia or in Africa. The legend first appeared in the latter part of the 12th cent. and persisted for several centuries....

Aranjuez

(Encyclopedia)Aranjuez äränghwāthˈ [key], town, Madrid prov., central Spain, on the Tagus River. As a market for the irrigated horticulture nearby, it is known for its asparagus and...

Gustavus VI

(Encyclopedia)Gustavus VI (Gustaf Adolf), 1882–1973, king of Sweden (1950–73), son and successor of Gustavus V. After the death (1920) of his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, he married (1923) Lady L...

Bradford, Gamaliel

(Encyclopedia)Bradford, Gamaliel, 1863–1932, American biographer, b. Boston. After many unsuccessful years as a writer, he achieved literary fame as a biographer with his Lee, the American (1912). He perfected th...

Ozick, Cynthia

(Encyclopedia)Ozick, Cynthia, 1928–, American writer, b. New York City, grad. New York Univ. (B.A., 1949), Ohio State Univ. (M.A., 1950). Her fiction, written with high intelligence, elegant incisiveness, and sha...

Renan, Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Renan, Ernest ĕrnĕstˈ rənäNˈ [key], 1823–92, French historian and critic. He began training for the priesthood but renounced it in 1845. His first trip to Italy (1849) influenced his interest ...

Blake, William

(Encyclopedia)Blake, William, 1757–1827, English poet and artist, b. London. Although he exerted a great influence on English romanticism, Blake defies characterization by school, movement, or even period. At the...

Taman Peninsula

(Encyclopedia)Taman Peninsula təmänˈ [key], c.20 mi (30 km) long and 8 mi (12.9 km) wide, Krasnodar Territory, SE European Russia, projecting westward between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It is separated f...

Scarborough Shoal

(Encyclopedia)Scarborough Shoal, lagoon and reefs, South China Sea, c.135 mi (220 km) W of Luzon, the Philippines. Claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan, it is called Huangyan Island by China and Panatag Sh...

toluene

(Encyclopedia)toluene mĕthˌəlbĕnˈzēn [key], C7H8, colorless liquid aromatic hydrocarbon that melts at −95℃ and boils at 110.8℃. It is insoluble in water but highly soluble in most organic solvents. Tolu...