Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Florio, John flôˈrēō [key], 1553?–1625, English author, b. London of Italian parentage. Educated at Oxford, Florio served in various capacities at the court of James I. He is chiefly remembered ...

(Encyclopedia) Gerard, John jĕrˈärd, jərärdˈ [key], 1545–1612, English botanist and barber-surgeon. He compiled a catalog (1596) of the plants in his garden, the first of its kind to be published in England....

(Encyclopedia) Fries, John, c.1750–1818, American rebel, b. Montgomery co., Pa. After serving in the American Revolution, Fries became a traveling auctioneer. Strongly opposed to the federal property taxes levied ...

(Encyclopedia) Nicholson, Sir William, 1872–1949, English woodcut artist, illustrator, and painter. The striking contrasts of black and white of his woodcutting technique were used to great effect on posters, on w...

(Encyclopedia) Orpen, Sir William, 1878–1931, British portrait and genre painter, b. Ireland. He is best known for his scenes of Irish daily life, his paintings and sketches of life at the front in World War I, an...

(Encyclopedia) Melville, Sir James, 1535–1617, Scottish diplomat. He was a page to Mary Queen of Scots in France and, after her return to Scotland, was employed as Mary's representative at the court of Elizabeth I...

(Encyclopedia) Barry, Sir Charles, 1795–1860, English architect. A leader in the revival of the Renaissance style of architecture in England (also called Anglo-Italian), he designed the Travellers Club and the Ref...

(Encyclopedia) Strange, Sir Robert, 1721–92, English engraver. The outstanding historical engraver of his day, he became a member of the academies of Rome, Florence, Bologna, and France and was the only English en...

(Encyclopedia) Gibbs, Sir Philip, 1877–1962, English journalist and author. As a result of his distinguished service in World War I as a front-line correspondent for the Daily Chronicle (London) he was knighted in...

(Encyclopedia) Coltrane, John kōltrānˈ, kōlˈtrān [key], 1926–67, American jazz musician, b. Hamlet, N.C. He began ...