From the bawdy to the sublime, the best writing on language for word lovers, grammar mavens, and armchair linguists. A brilliant, witty, and engaging compendium on the uses and abuses of the English language.

With bestselling narratives such as The Professor and the Madman to edicts by popular grammar mavens including Pat O'Conner and Barbara Wallraff,
it is clear readers outside of academia are becoming more and more intrigued with language. Founded by legendary lexicographer Lawrence Urdang, for thirty years Verbatim has published amusing and intriguing articles on the English language and the idea of language in general. Here, for the first time, is a collection of Verbatim's greatest hits and wondrous discoveries on concept, usage, jargon, wordplay, linguistics, blunders, malapropisms, and more.

With contributors such as Richard Lederer, Jesse Sheidlower, and Joe Queenan, lexicography heavyweights like Frederick Cassidy and William Kunstler, Verbatim is a smart and sassy collection for anyone seeking the highly scholarly or the completely frivolous. From the uses of language in the Bible to the components of a British soccer chant, this astounding collection is sure to offer something for every language enthusiast and word lover to enjoy.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 10/17/2001
ISBN: 9780156012096
Pages: 372
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.26h x 5.52w x 0.91d

Review Citations: PW Notes and Reprints 09/24/2001 pg. 88
Library Journal 10/15/2001 pg. 76
Booklist 10/15/2001 pg. 363
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2002 pg. 196
Publishers Weekly 09/24/2001