"The Encyclopedia of Ireland" is being dubbed the most comprehensive book to date on Irish life, culture, and history, and leafing through its pages, it's hard to disagree. Arranged in alphabetical order, the Encyclopedia contains more than 5,000 essays written by nearly 1,000 contributors. A random sampling (under G) captures the wide range of topics covered in this impressive volume: "games, mediaeval," "Garinish" (a small island in Bantry Bay) and "George IV's footprints" (these are actual impressions in a granite boulder which mark the monarch's August 12, 1821 visit to Dublin, the first such peaceful visit by a British monarch in over 100 years). "The Encyclopedia" rightly takes a very broad view of Ireland. Editor Brian Lalor also wisely decided to include lots of information about Irish people not just in Ireland, but across the globe. Lalor was a good choice for this project, having written numerous books on Ireland's landscape, topography and travel, such as "The Irish Round Tower," "The Blue Guide to Ireland," "The Laugh of Lost Men" and "West of West." Frank McCourt also offers up a fine introductory essay, writing: "This is a book that will settle many an argument and, I hope, send many a reader off on a journey." There is always room to quibble in a book such as this. The Battle of the Boyne entry, for example, is quite brief. The description of the 1690 clash between the armies of King James II and King William III is adequate. However, there is no mention of the battle's contemporary relevance. After all, the battle is marked by tension in Northern Ireland to this day. Such minor flaws aside, however, this is a must-have for any Irish book lover. (1216 pages / $65 / Yale University Press )