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Defining the World The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary

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ISBN-10: 0312426208

ISBN-13: 9780312426200

Edition: N/A

Authors: Henry Hitchings

List price: $23.00
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Description:

Defining the World is a fascinating account of the Herculean effort undertaken by Samuel Johnson to write the first comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Imagining he could complete the job in three years, Johnson in fact took more than eight, and the dictionary itself turned out to be as much a work of literature as it was an invaluable reference. In alphabetized chapters, from "Adventurous" to "Zootomy," Henry Hitchings tells of Johnson's toil and triumph, and offers a closer look at the definitions themselves, which were alive with invention, poetry, erudition, and, at times, hilarious imprecision. The story of Johnson's adventure into the essence of words is an entertainment…    
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Book details

List price: $23.00
Publisher: Picador
Publication date: 10/17/2006
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 304
Size: 5.50" wide x 8.25" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 0.594
Language: English

Louise Elizabeth Gluck, 1943 - Louise Gluck was born April 22, 1943 in New York City, New York. She grew up on Long Island and attended Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University, both in New York State. She is best known for her award winning collection entitled "The Wild Iris". After graduation, Gluck began teaching poetry, accepting positions at various colleges and universities. In 1968, her first collection entitled "Firstborn" was published. Seven years later she published "The House on the Marshland", and in 1985, "The Triumph of Achilles" won the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry. In 1993, she was an editor of The Best American Poetry anthology. Her last appointment…