“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.”
—Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the Madman
The Story of Ain’t by David Skinner is the captivating true chronicle of the creation of Merriam Webster’s Third New International Dictionary in 1961, the most controversial dictionary ever published. Skinner’s surprising and engaging, erudite and witty account will enthrall fans of Winchester’s The Professor and the Madman and The Meaning of Everything, and The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs, as it explores a culture in transition and the brilliant, colorful individuals behind it. The Story of Ain’t 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 (Infinite Jest) once called “the Fort Sumter of the Usage Wars.”
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Created by the most respected American publisher of dictionaries and supervised by editor Philip Gove, Webster's Third broke with tradition, adding thousands of new words and eliminating "artificial notions of correctness," basing proper usage on how language was actually spoken. The dictionary's revolutionary style sparked what David Foster Wallace called "the Fort Sumter of the Usage Wars." Critics bayed at the dictionary's permissive handling of ain't. Literary intellectuals such as Dwight Macdonald believed the abandonment of the old standard represented the unraveling of civilization.
Entertaining and erudite, The Story of Ain't describes a great societal metamorphosis, tracing the fallout of the world wars, the rise of an educated middle class, and the emergence of America as the undisputed leader of the free world, and illuminating how those forces shaped our language. Never before or since has a dictionary so embodied the cultural transformation of the United States.
David Skinner is a writer and editor living in Alexandria, Virginia. He writes about language, culture, and his life as a husband, father, and suburbanite. He has been a staff editor at the Weekly Standard, for which he still writes, and an editor of Doublethink magazine. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, the New Atlantis, Slate, the Washington Times, the American Spectator, and many other publications. Skinner is the editor of Humanities magazine, which is published by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is on the usage panel for the American Heritage Dictionary.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Fast Shipping - Safe and secure Mailer. Seller Inventory # 521X7W0009YV
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 19715041-n
Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. The Story of Ain't 0.6. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780062027498
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780062027498
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New! This item is printed on demand. Seller Inventory # 0062027492
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. 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.Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of The Professor and the MadmanThe Story of Aint by David Skinner is the captivating true chronicle of the creation of Merriam Websters Third New International Dictionary in 1961, the most controversial dictionary ever published. Skinners surprising and engaging, erudite and witty account will enthrall fans of Winchesters The Professor and the Madman and The Meaning of Everything, and The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs, as it explores a culture in transition and the brilliant, colorful individuals behind it. The Story of Aint is a smart, often outrageous, and altogether remarkable tale of how egos, infighting, and controversy shaped one of Americas most authoritative language texts, sparking a furious language debate that the late, great author David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest) once called the Fort Sumter of the Usage Wars. Entertaining and erudite, and a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice, this title describes a societal metamorphosis, tracing the fallout of the world wars, the rise of an educated middle class, and the emergence of America as the undisputed leader of the free world, and illuminating how those forces shaped our language. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780062027498
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ00BJKQ_ns
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0062027492xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9780062027498
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 0.6. Seller Inventory # 353-0062027492-new