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I was often told that 'look up' mustn't be followed by 'a book/ dictionary'. But I read in a dictionary compiled by a famous Chinese professor of English this sentence: If you wish to have further information about the matter, look up this book.
Just now I searched the British National Corpus, and found the following sentence: Look up a good book on grammar and work on your prepositions.
This use of the phrasal verb is rarely seen in common dictionaries. Is it right to use it? I was hoping native English teachers could help me. Many thanks.
This usage of 'look up' is comparatively rare but it is acceptable. It isn't usually taught though. However, If I were you, I would avoid it as there are better alternatives.
informal - check this book out
neutral - Find a good book on ...
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look up a good book 
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