Geoff Berridge's previous works include "South Africa", "The Colonial Powers" "African Defence" (1992) and "Talking to the Enemy" (1994). He is an Associate Editor of the "New Dictionary of National Biography". Alan James' previous works include "Sovereign Statehood" (1986) and "States in a Changing World" (ed. with Robert Jackson, (1993).

This new Dictionary, the most comprehensive ever dedicated to diplomacy, will provide a much needed resource in the field. Not only does it contain a comprehensive range of diplomatic terms, but it also includes entries on legal terms, political events, international organisations and major figures who have occupied the diplomatic scene or written influentially about it over the last half millennium. All students of diplomacy and related subjects and members of the many diplomatic services of the world will find this book indispensable.