{"product_id":"the-story-of-aint-america-its-language-and-the-most-controversial-dictionary-ever-published-9780062027498","title":"The Story of Ain't: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"It takes true brilliance to lift the arid tellings of lexicographic fussing into the readable realm of the thriller and the bodice-ripper....David Skinner has done precisely this, taking a fine story and honing it to popular perfection.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Simon Winchester, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Professor and the Madman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Story of Ain't\u003c\/em\u003e by David Skinner is the captivating true chronicle of the creation of \u003cem\u003eMerriam Webster's Third New International Dictionary\u003c\/em\u003e in 1961, the most controversial dictionary ever published. Skinner's surprising and engaging, erudite and witty account will enthrall fans of Winchester's \u003cem\u003eThe Professor and the Madman\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Meaning of Everything\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Know-It-All\u003c\/em\u003e by A.J. Jacobs, as it explores a culture in transition and the brilliant, colorful individuals behind it. \u003cem\u003eThe Story of Ain't\u003c\/em\u003e is a smart, often outrageous, and altogether remarkable tale of how egos, infighting, and controversy shaped one of America's most authoritative language texts, sparking a furious language debate that the late, great author David Foster Wallace (\u003cem\u003eInfinite Jest\u003c\/em\u003e) once called \"the Fort Sumter of the Usage Wars.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/24\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780062027498\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.98h x 5.31w x 0.86d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/17\/2013 pg. 30\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"David Skinner","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43150234190005,"sku":"9780062027498","price":15.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_30db1818-9003-430c-9863-dea804c90761.jpg?v=1696344327","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-story-of-aint-america-its-language-and-the-most-controversial-dictionary-ever-published-9780062027498","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}