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Durrell, Lawrence

(Encyclopedia)Durrell, Lawrence dŭˈrəl, dûrˈəl [key], 1912–90, British author, b. India, of Irish parents. Durrell traveled widely, often serving in diplomatic positions; most of his works are set in exotic...

Bragg, Braxton

(Encyclopedia)Bragg, Braxton, 1817–76, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War, b. Warrenton, N.C. A graduate of West Point, he fought the Seminole and in the Mexican War was promoted to lieutenant colonel for ...

Vidal, Gore

(Encyclopedia)Vidal, Gore (Eugene Luther Gore Vidal, Jr.), 1925–2012, American writer, b. West Point, N.Y. He grew up in Washington, D.C., where a formative influence was his witty and scholarly grandfather, Sena...

gavotte

(Encyclopedia)gavotte gəvŏtˈ [key], originally a peasant dance of the Gavots in upper Dauphiné, France. A type of circle dance characterized by lively, skipping steps, it was introduced at the court of Louis XI...

Jewsbury, Geraldine Endsor

(Encyclopedia)Jewsbury, Geraldine Endsor jo͞ozˈbərē [key], 1812–80, English novelist. She is remembered as much for her friendship with the Carlyles and other literary people as for her novels, which include ...

Laforgue, Jules

(Encyclopedia)Laforgue, Jules zhül läfôrgˈ [key], 1860–87, French symbolist poet. He was one of the first French poets to write in free verse. The revolutionary form of Les Complaintes (1885) and Derniers Ver...

Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon

(Encyclopedia)Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon yän pēˈtərsōn swāˈlĭngk [key], 1562–1621, Dutch organist and composer, called the “maker of German organists” because the succession of his pupils descended di...

Bache, Jules Semon

(Encyclopedia)Bache, Jules Semon, 1861–1944, American banker and art collector, b. New York City. He made an immense fortune on Wall St., organized the banking firm of J. S. Bache and Company, and was director of...

foreign exchange

(Encyclopedia)foreign exchange, methods and instruments used to adjust the payment of debts between two nations that employ different currency systems. A nation's balance of payments has an important effect on the ...

Mosby, John Singleton

(Encyclopedia)Mosby, John Singleton môzˈbē [key], 1833–1916, Confederate partisan leader in the American Civil War, b. Edgemont, Va. He was practicing law in Bristol, Va., when the Civil War broke out. Mosby s...