lexicographers

Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of eighteenth-century English writer and critic Samuel Johnson, discussing his formative years, his early efforts to succeed at writing, and his personal life and beliefs; and examining the work and struggles of his later years.

"A middle-aged lexicographer, Helena Verbloem, travels alone to Durban to assist in the creation of a dictionary of Afrikaans words that have fallen out of use. Shortly after her arrival, her apartment is burglarized, and her collection of precious shells, shells that she had been collecting for a lifetime, is stolen. Meeting with indifference from the local police, she decides to investigate the crime on her own, with the help of her new friend from the Museum of Natural History, Sof. While investigating the crime, Helena reflects on the life she's lived-- her ex-husband, her daughter, her lovers, her childhood-- and begins to fall in love with her married boss, Theo Verway. An alternately sublime and satrical meditation on love, loss and obsession"--P. [4] of cover.

Recounts Noah Webster's experiences as a confidant of many of America's founding fathers, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, and discusses his influence on American culture.

Surveys the life of Noah Webster, a reputedly vain and bad-tempered man who made a career of acquiring knowledge and public speaking, but who is best remembered for compiling and publishing the first American dictionary in 1828.

Explains how the "Oxford English Dictionary" was created and discusses the relationship between the editor and one of his most influential contributors, a psychotic murderer in one of England's cruelest asylums.

Explains how the "Oxford English Dictionary" was created and discusses the relationship between the editor and one of his most influential contributors, a psychotic murderer in one of England's cruelest asylums.

Explains how the "Oxford English Dictionary" was created and discusses the relationship between the editor and one of his most influential contributors, a psychotic murderer in one of England's cruelest asylums.