About this title: Brilliantly entertaining and enlightening, this volume tells the story of Samuel Johnson's endeavor to create an authoritative English dictionary. Hitchings describes Johnson's adventure--his ambition and vision, his moments of despair, the mistakes he made along the way, and his ultimate triumph.
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN-13:9780374113025ISBN:0374113025
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN-13:9780374113025ISBN:0374113025
Description: Good. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers! Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Picador
Date Published: 2006-10-17
ISBN-13:9780312426200ISBN:0312426208
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Description: Good. 2006-Paperback-Cover shows some shelf-wear. ---Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780739468470ISBN:0739468472
Description: Very good. Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, minimal to no highlighting/under. read more
"It was a hard read, but totally worth it. Incredible vocabulary. Lots of fun stories and tidbits. A definite read for anyone who loves the English language."
"It started well. The first few chapters were interesting but once the author started telling how Johnson got around to compiling words for the dictionary, it became meandering and boring real fast. Imagine my surprise. I would have thought that would be the most interesting part but alas, my attention was lost and I gave up on the book. Pity. It could have been so much better."
"This book is likely to be a varied experience depending on whether you have already read -- or at least perused -- Samuel Johnson's dictionary. If you have, I imagine this book will feel like a guided tour through a hall you have already wandered through. If you haven't, it will be more like someone pointing through a large window to various interesting objects in a room you cannot enter.
I fall into the latter category, and the chief effect of this book was to make me want to pick up the dictionary for myself and seek out more of the creative and unexpected definitions that pepper Hitchings' chapters (and which serve as the chapter headings -- a very creative and engaging technique). I found Hitchings' history of Johnson's life and work far less interesting than the definitions themselves.
Also, this book is clearly written with a British audience in mind. That's neither a good nor a bad thing, but unless you've spent much time in Britain or studying British history (and I have not), some of the references might be lost on you.
But for lovers of words and their meanings and groupies of Samuel Johnson (there have to be a few out there), this book will be worth reading."
"This took me a while, just because I wanted to digest it all. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in words and history. Makes an interesting companion to THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN, the story of the Oxford English Dictionary."
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