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eandrews80's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
This is just wonderful. Stamper not only explains the history of dictionaries and the craft of lexicography in a concise and compelling way, but does so with a sly and delightful sense of humor. There's a dry paragraph here and there, but otherwise, Stamper has created a super engaging book for people who love the English language. I had never given much thought to how dictionaries are made, and while I can't say that this makes me want to be a lexicographer, it gives me a great deal of admiration for people who devote their lives to this ongoing, challenging work.
waynediane's review against another edition
5.0
If love words, books, and definitions. You will love this book!
zober's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.75
I love words, but this book felt repetitive. The tone of the book also was odd; while half of the book is Stamper describing the self-admitted unglamorous life of a lexicographer, (called a "drudge" about a hundred times), somehow it still came across as a bit holier-than-thou. Much of the book felt like Stamper going, "Oh, you love words casually? Well let me tell you what it's like to love words professionally. We all hate human interaction. Have I mentioned we don't like socializing?"
Some chapters were quite interesting, but nonetheless I kept increasing the pace of the audiobook so I could get through it more quickly.
Some chapters were quite interesting, but nonetheless I kept increasing the pace of the audiobook so I could get through it more quickly.
heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful book about the people who write dictionaries for a living, namely at Merriam Webster, and the strange, often hilarious work they do and letters they receive from their concerned public. A real treat for word lovers, or anyone or finds strange, unusual jobs interesting.
bailey_bea's review against another edition
5.0
"Etymological fallacy is the worst sort of pedantry: a meaningless personal opinion trying to dress itself up as concern for preserving historical principles. It misses that language change itself is a historical principle: a language that doesn't change is a dead language, and as much as etymological fallacists seem to love the purity of Latin, you'll notice that none of them have abandoned that whore English for it."
Word by Word is a love letter to the English language, and I couldn't get enough. I have a whole new appreciation for dictionaries and the tenacious lexicographers who bring them into existence. And while I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm not cut out to be a lexicographer, I could kiss Stamper for illuminating the craft of lexicography with wit, intelligence, and panache.
Word by Word is a love letter to the English language, and I couldn't get enough. I have a whole new appreciation for dictionaries and the tenacious lexicographers who bring them into existence. And while I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm not cut out to be a lexicographer, I could kiss Stamper for illuminating the craft of lexicography with wit, intelligence, and panache.