This exhaustive reference work examines the complete fictional works of Dick Francis, a former steeplechase jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and an accomplished British novelist. As of 2007, Francis had written one volume of collected short stories and 40 novels, most of which contain one or more elements related to British horse racing. Organized in a dictionary format, the book lists and discusses both the major and the peripheral characters in Francis's novels and short stories, along with the horses, plots, locations and themes employed throughout.