Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words [Hardcover]

John Marciano (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1596916532 | ISBN-13: 978-1596916531 | Publication Date: October 27, 2009

An encyclopedia of linguistic biographies: the witty, illustrated stories of the Earl of Sandwich, Charles Boycott, and other historical figures better known as words than people.

Eponymous, adj. Giving one’s name to a person, place, or thing.

Anonymous, adj. Anonymous.

Anonyponymous, adj. Anonymous and eponymous.

The Earl of Sandwich, fond of salted beef and paired slices of toast, found a novel way to eat them all together. Etienne de Silhouette, a former French finance minister, was so notoriously cheap that his name became a byword for chintzy practices—such as substituting a darkened outline for a proper painted portrait. Both bequeathed their names to the language, but neither man is remembered.

In this clever and funny book, John Bemelmans Marciano illuminates the lives of these anonyponymous persons. A kind of encyclopedia of linguistic biographies, the book is arranged alphabetically, giving the stories of everyone from Abu “algorithm” Al-Khwarizmi to Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. Along with them you'll find the likes of Harry Shrapnel, Joseph-Ignace Guillotine, and many other people whose vernacular legacies have long outlived their memory.

Accented by amusing line portraits and short etymological essays on subjects like “superhero eponyms,” Anonyponymous is both a compendium of trivia and a window into the fascinating world of etymology.  Carefully curated and unfailingly witty, this book is both a fantastic gift for language lovers and a true pleasure to read.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Bemelmans Marciano is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the beloved Madeline children's books. He is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including Madeline and the Cats of Rome, Harold’s Tale, and Delilah, as well as the illustrated biography Bemelmans: The Life and Art of Madeline's Creator. An artist and self-professed word geek, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two cats.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596916532
• ISBN-13: 978-1596916531
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #518,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Bemelmans Marciano is the grandson of Ludwig Bemelmans, author of the original Madeline books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute book, but a little short, November 15, 2009

By 

M. Marsh (Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)

Warning: this book was obtained through the librarything early reviewers program and thus might represent an ARC which could be slightly different book than the final version.

"Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words" is written by John Marciano who is perhaps best known for being an author in the children's series "Madeline". This, his latest work, is a very easy to read book, most suitable for "word geeks," literature lovers, linguistics students, students of the history of the English language, or anyone who is a fan of trivia.

This book covers the origin of several words that are commonplace in the English language, but originally owed their start to being part of someone's name. Most people are aware of the Earl of Sandwich and his relationship to the food that bears his name, Mr. Crapper and his relationship to the toilet, and the word sadism as coming from Marquis de Sade. What about the pair of pants you are wearing? The word "pants" (originally Pantaloon) were named for Pantaleon, a physician. Shrapnel was named for Henry Shrapnel, the inventor of an exploding cannonball. You can read more about the origin of these words and many more by reading this book.

"Anonyponymous" is an entertaining read, although rather short, and is about the perfect size as a "stocking stuffer" for the holiday season or as a "grab bag" gift. If I had not obtained it as a reviewer, I would have unlikely purchased the book at it's list price which I feel to be too high for the size of the book. I suspect this will eventually find it's place in the bargain bin within the next year or so.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - I can't believe no one has written this before!, November 12, 2009

By 

Ellen Y. Lee (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)

Not only are the stories entertaining, but the sketches are top notch. I did a little research, and this is the same author who illustrates (and writes) the Madeline books. Thanks NPR for broadcasting the interview!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best etymology book I've ever read, November 14, 2009

By 

John S. Leake "John Leake" (Wien) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)

The succinct and vivid biographies of "the forgotten people behind everyday words" are fascinating and surprising, and Marciano's illustrations are absolutely charming.

For the first time in my life I will be able to give a meaningful Christmas present to all of my friends and family.