Porter-Pedia: Unlocking the Hidden World Within Cole Porter's Lyrics Hardcover – November 23, 2025

"WUNDERBAR! is all I can say about Porter-Pedia. Cole Porter gave us the words, this book gives us their world. What a treasure trove that I will continue to savor. A COLE PORTER ESSENTIAL! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!" - Jeff Harnar, concert and cabaret vocalist For nearly a century, Cole Porter's songs have shimmered with wit, sophistication, and worldly charm. Yet the world he wrote about - the duchesses and debutantes, cocktails and cabarets, yachts and Yale men - has largely vanished from memory. Porter-Pedia opens that world once more. Spanning Porter's entire career, from his earliest Yale songs to his final Broadway triumphs, this one-of-a-kind companion explains more than 2,600 cultural references - every name, place, product, and phrase that filled his lyrics with sparkle and subtext. Whether you're a singer, student, lyricist, or devoted fan of the Great American Songbook, Porter-Pedia invites you to rediscover the jokes, fashions, and fascinations that made Porter's work timeless - and to see just how precisely he captured the life and language of his age. If The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter gives us the words, Porter-Pedia gives us the world. Read more