Last night The Wheel in Space hosted it's Cyber-Book-Club. We've all been reading a really compelling piece of work by Merriam Webster called The Dictionary. Today I'm happy to share with Blog-Country my review of this ground breaking work.
I have to say it is a dauntingly dense read, while at the same time rich with layered subtext. Webster demonstrates his powerful mastery of the English language by weaving into his story an elaborate vocabulary the likes of which I have rarely seen in other work. Webster also impresses with a fine grasp of structured story telling. Each of its 36 chapters are neatly organized, creating a natural flow to the overall work.
Admittedly, the attention to detail is, at times, tedious. While some have blamed Tolkien for taking a paragraph to describe a blade of grass. Webster actually takes paragraphs to describe the words blade, grass, and even the word of!
Still, the precision, creative use of language, and the near perfect specificity make it a gripping tale worthy of any personal library. In fact, more than 35 million people agree with me if the sales numbers have anything to say about it. In short, I highly recommend you go out and purchase a copy of The Dictionary. It is a real page-turner!
Next Month, the Cyber-Club is going to tackle another one of Merriam's great works. The Thesaurus.
11 comments:
I liked this post very much. That sentence is about the extent of my own reviewing skills.
I kept trying to read this, but I couldn't figure out what I'd use to look up the words I didn't understand.
Great Post! And alas! I discovered a couple of weeks ago that they still make these in hard copy and bought one.
L.M.A.O. @ Gyuss!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gyuss- that's why there's the internet. Let your fingers do the walking on the keyboard.
Actually, once in a while it IS fun to read the dictionary. There are some weird words out there.
G, ummmm.... yeahhhhhh...
as a kid my dad decided to punish me for i don't remember much by making me read the dictionary.
i made it to asinine before he took it away.
(i don't think the 'punishment' worked out quite the way he intended)
opps, there's a freudian slip, i meant 'don't remember ~what~'
not 'much'
guess either one is true though.:-)
My favorite part of the get together, besides the juice and cookies, was when the discussion made it to "vaginal chainsaw" and you tried explaining that to Mrs. CyberD...Good times...
This was the best post you've ever written. Good job Cyber D! I can tell that you're really trying to make it great in 2008!
I'm going to hang myself now.
I've read this book numerous times and find myself referencing it constantly. No bookcase should be without one. Fact.
heather, freudian INDEED!
Q, I thought your favorite part of the evening was the hot wax?
Dags, I'll take it.
Steph, we have so much in common... it's like we're soul mates or something!
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