All you need to know about Wales

There is a moment in the introduction to this book, when, after the grand statement of its aim ‘to encapsulate a country’s material, natural and cultural essence’, you come on this, amongst the usual thanks being extended to archivists and professors: ‘To Roy Morgan of Mertec Evesham Ltd., Swansea, who kindly loaned the project a laptop computer.’ Just that, but from then on you suspect that this is going to be an encapsulation of a country’s material, natural and cultural essence unlike any other you have ever read.

For there in a single sentence you have the Welsh, a people little given to airs (their most popular jibe being ‘Who does he think he is?’, one directed at R. S. Thomas in his youth), or reverence (for Norman kings, at the heads of their armies, one of the most disturbing features of invading Wales was that passers-by engaged them in conversation), also a people, who, because of the scarce resources at their disposal, are used to making do. God bless Mr Morgan, and see he gets his laptop back.

But the Encyclopaedia’s most remarkable feature is that it, a reference work, is so readable. The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is a solemn march past of the great and good (and stuffed with 19th-century chapel ministers). This is a rout of everyone who has ever intrigued its four editors, John Davies, Nigel Jenkins, Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch.

‘EVANS, Margaret. Amazonian.’ Some- body has had a lot of fun classifying the entries. This 18th-century Margaret, whom Pennant met on his travels, was a wrestler, blacksmith, oarswoman, hunter and carpenter. ‘There is a tradition that her husband agreed to marry her after she beat him, and that after a second beating he gave up drinking and became prominent with the local Methodists.’