look up a good book

[joham]

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.

 

[Horsa]

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 ...