Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary on 2003 (originally 1806) Pages: 1623
My content rating: Mature YA/NA (Some sexual content, though not explicit; Some violence)
My rating:
A new edition of America's best-selling dictionary! Setting the standard with:- Fully revised print edition featuring more than 225,000 definitions
- More than 10,000 new words and meanings
- Special sections including a Handbook of Style
***NOTE: This review may contain spoilers for the first ten editions of this book.***
I know what you’re thinking. This edition was released in 2003. What took me so long to review it? I know, you’re totally right. I have to confess that I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for quite some time and while I’ve occasionally rifled through it and read bits and pieces, I’ve just never been able to work up to reading the whole thing. I mean, let’s face it, at 1623 pages this book is daunting. And it covers some really heavy subject matter – suicide, terrorism, infanticide, drugs – it’s all in there.
But, I don’t know why I waited so long. This book was FANTASTIC!!
The negatives:
- Hard to follow sometimes. I have to admit that there were occasionally times when I had a hard time following the plot. There were so many twists and turns that I sometimes had a hard time keeping it all straight.
- Odd structure. I found it a bit odd that both the climax and the cliffhanger were fairly early in the book. Not what I was expecting at all, but somehow it worked!
What I LOVED:
- The writing style. Noah Webster has a way with words. I’ll just leave it at that.
- Eclectic characters. There were so many amazing characters in this book!! From the aristocrat who shows up toward the beginning of the book to the xenophobe who pops up at the end, every character has his or her own distinctive personality! I guarantee you’ve never seen a more eclectic menagerie of characters!
- The twists. Honestly, there were so many twists and turns in this book – I was incredibly surprised at the detour on page 341 and then that deviation that happened on page 342. Then there was a total turnabout on page 1350 and a huge twist on page 1353. I couldn’t believe how the story veered on page 1386, and then, just when I thought I knew exactly where the plot was going, there was a total zigzag at the end!! Honestly, I just never knew what was coming next. It was fascinating!!
Noah Webster was born on October 16, 1758, in West Hartford, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University in 1778. He studied law and taught in New York where he recognized a need for American English textbooks. Passionate about grammar, spelling and usage, he went on to publish the famous “Blue-Backed Speller” and later An American Dictionary of the English Language. He died on May 28, 1843.
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[…] MOST FUN I’ve ever had writing a review was my April Fools’ review of the dictionary!! I loved my Rock Angel review because I was so full of feels that all I could do was spew […]
BWAHAH I LOVE this. I am most impressed that Noah Webster gave you the copy to review. You know, review copies from the beyond ARE the hardest to get (of course, some people are constantly posting their review copies from Shakespeare on Instagram, but I think they’re just showing off).
I do wish the cover had a bit more pizazz though. I mean, for all the riveting words you came across, the cover leads me to believe otherwise. Perhaps this calls for a redesign? Though then your other 10 editions may not match, so maybe we should leave it alone.
Now, where do I sign up for the ARC of the 12th edition?
Yes, I really had to beg to get this one! I tried to get an interview, but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
And you’re totally right about the cover – I really should have mentioned that. A redesign would be nice, but you know how upset people get when their covers don’t match!
When I made the leap to WordPress, my comments got left behind. 🙁
If you want to see the fun things that people had to say about this on April Fools’, you can check out the comments on the original post HERE.
[…] so far? (Link us up!) Oooh, this is such a tough question! One that definitely stands out was my April Fools’ review of the dictionary. I’ve never had so much fun writing a post! At the time, it didn’t say April Fools’ in the […]
I just saw this post from your Book & A Beverage feature and I love it! What a totally smart April Fool’s Day joke; it makes me wish I had thought of it 😉
Ha! Thanks! Now I just have to think of something fun to do this year! 🙂
[…] this post? Check out last year’s April Fools’ review of the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary (it’s really […]
Ha! Great one 🙂
I actually think I loved this one more than this year’s, but they’re both fun!
I love this hahaha! Your April Fool’s posts really make me want to come up with something good of my own for next year. 😀
You totally should!! And if you do, make sure you come over here to let me know because I LOVE April Fools’ posts – they’re so much fun!
[…] And my personal favorite – a witty (if I do say so myself) review of the Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. […]