A Dictionary of the English Language: An Anthology (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Samuel Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0141441577 | ISBN-13: 978-0141441573 | Publication Date: October 30, 2007

Surprising, colorful, and long-forgotten entries from the most famous dictionary in the history of the English language

Samuel Johnson's best-known work, A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), is the most influential and idiosyncratic lexicon ever written and was used by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, the Brontës and the Brownings, Thomas Hardy and Oscar Wilde. This anthology includes 4,000 of the most representative, entertaining, and historically fascinating entries, covering subjects from fashion to food, science to sex, and given in full with original spelling and examples of usage from Shakespeare to Milton.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) was an English poet, essayist, biographer, lexicographer, and critic, and the subject of James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson.
David Crystal is a renowned linguist who has been described as "a sort of latter-day Johnson" (The Times Higher Education Supplement). He is an honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, and the editor of The Penguin Factfinder.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141441577
• ISBN-13: 978-0141441573
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, June 13, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Dictionary of the English Language: An Anthology (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I bought this as a graduation present for my best friend and spent some time just thumbing through this book. It is definitely an interesting read; especially with the origins of each entry.