"The titles of many art works are descriptive, naming the persons or scenes depicted. But close your eyes and picture L.H.O.O.Q., Tomorrow Is Never, or The Unthinkable. Suddenly the world of art is a more mysterious place, full of titles that evoke only questions (No Walk Today - why not? The Discovery - of what?)." "Some of those questions can be answered by looking at the works themselves. Other answers require some background in history or religion,...

NTC's Classical Dictionary contains more than 1200 entries detailing the origins of the names in the legends and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. Many of these names have passed into current English usage-Achille's heel, for example, and Herculean tasks.

"First published in 1997, the work in this new edition contains over 7,000 entries, including 1,000 new placenames from previously under-represented areas such as China and Japan. Entries cover natural features as well as manmade entities. Each entry includes the name of the feature; a brief description and its geographical location; and the origin of the name"--Provided by publisher.