Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Kunstler, William Moses, 1919–95, American lawyer, b. New York City, grad. Yale (1941), Columbia law school (1948). Flamboyant and often brilliant, Kunstler defended the unpopular and unfailingly su...

(Encyclopedia) Strang, James Jesse străng [key], 1813–56, American Mormon leader, b. Cayuga co., N.Y. A lawyer, teacher, and newspaperman, he migrated in 1843 to Wisconsin, was converted to Mormonism and baptized...

(Encyclopedia) Purcell, Henry pûrˈsəl [key], c.1659–1695, English composer and organist. Often considered England's finest native composer, Purcell combined a great gift for lyrical melody with harmonic inventi...

(Encyclopedia) Tyler, Wat, d. 1381, English rebel. His given name appears in full as Walter; his surname signifies the trade of a roof tiler. He came into prominence as the leader of the rebellion of 1381, known as ...

(Encyclopedia) Synge, John Millington sĭng [key], 1871–1909, Irish poet and dramatist, b. near Dublin, of Protestant parents. He was an important figure in the Irish literary renaissance. As a young man he studie...

(Encyclopedia) Chambers, Sir William, 1723–96, English architect, b. Gothenburg, Sweden. He traveled extensively in the East Indies and in China making drawings of gardens and buildings, many of which were later p...

(Encyclopedia) Lully, Jean Baptiste zhäN bätēstˈ lülēˈ [key], 1632–87, French operatic composer, b. Florence, Italy. His name originally was Giovanni Battista Lulli. A self-taught violinist, he went to Fran...

(Encyclopedia) Kempe, Margery kĕmp [key], d. 1438 or afterward, English religious writer, b. King's Lynn. She was the wife of a prominent citizen and the mother of 14 children. Her autobiography, The Book of Marger...

(Encyclopedia) Ah Cheng äˈjûng [key], pseud. of Zhong Acheng, 1949–, Chinese writer and painter. His father, the film critic Zhong Dianfei, was forced by the Communist government to sell his library of Chinese ...

(Encyclopedia) Hopkins, Sir Anthony, 1937–, British actor, b. Port Talbot, Wales. A classically schooled actor, he studied drama in Wales and London, made his stage debut in 1960, and was long a member of the Brit...