The Dictionary Wars: The American Fight over the English Language

Description

A compelling history of the national conflicts that resulted from efforts to produce the first definitive American dictionary of English In The Dictionary Wars, Peter Martin recounts the patriotic fervor in the early American republic to produce a definitive national dictionary that would rival Samuel Johnson's 1755 Dictionary of the English La

Peter Martin is the author of numerous books, including the acclaimed biographies Samuel Johnson and A Life of James Boswell. He has taught English literature in the United States and England and divides his time between West Sussex, England, and Spain.

"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year" "[A] riveting history. . . . The author navigates a complex story, bringing to life the passions and ideologies that shaped the early American lexicon." * New Yorker * "Wonderfully told. . . . For a tale of lexicographic intrigue, Mr. Martin's book is unexcelled."---Bryan A. Garner, Wall Street Journal "Engaging and informative. . . . The Dictionary Wars . . . forays into copyright law, educational policy, religious revivalism, and other pressures on the verbal life of the nation."---Christopher Benfey, New York Review of Books "Martin is a steady and thorough guide to what he calls the 'endless labyrinths of lexicography', and in Dictionary Wars he succeeds in dramatising what could have been mere bibliography."---Max Norman, Literary Review "An informative and often pleasantly surprising cultural history." * Kirkus * "With an impressive breadth of research, The Dictionary Wars invites contemplation of the ways in which language itself can affect the soul of a nation."---Meagan Logsdon, Foreword Reviews "Reanimates a 19th-century 'civil war over words' that shaped how Americans speak and write. . . . Anyone who loves words for their own sake will be entertained." * Publishers Weekly * "What [The Dictionary Wars] does best is to demonstrate that while characters win or lose, the very viciousness of the fight ended up benefiting the whole language and all of us who use it. For those of us nerdy and wordy enough to love the language as well as use it, this is profound."---Nicholas Clairmont, Washington Examiner "Martin's account of the dictionary feuds of the 19th century is as lively and entertaining as the battle itself."---Patricia T. O'Conner, New York Times "Peter Martin's The Dictionary Wars: The American Fight Over the English Language shows Noah Webster as every bit the sort of ideologue who is convinced he has a historical mission and carries himself accordingly."---Scott McLemee, Inside Higher Ed "The Dictionary Wars is a fascinating unveiling of how American English became what it is today." * Desi News * "[The Dictionary Wars] celebrate[s] the development of literature and language that would give the United States of America its own cultural identity. [It] provide[s] a foundational context for the study of our literature and communication and help[s] us celebrate American culture."---Michel L. Ramsey, Roanoke Times "Martin's book includes a substantial amount of archival research which will undoubtedly be a boon to scholars of the dictionary wars."---Kory Stamper, Times Literary Supplement "Martin gives a textured account of the personal, scholarly, and business conflicts that erupted with Webster's first dictionary. . . . Folded into this tale are aspects of print capitalism, material culture, and business history."---Matthew Garrett, ALH Online Review "As well as providing an unparalleled account of the making of American English and the ineffable Anglo-American connection, Martin's study is an invaluable contribution to the field. It is a prolific reference work of commendable scholarship drawing on laborious documentation, consistent, informative, and copious in exemplification, one that reads like a passionate saga and an academic resource at one and the same time."---Adriana Neagu, American, British and Canadian Studies