Customer Reviews

The F-Word: Second Edition

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A big huzzah to the courage of Random House for publishing this crass, uncouth, vulgar, disgusting, arguably sexist, yet interesting and entertaining little book. More than anything it's a novelty, a fun thing to keep on your shelf, lend to a buddy, and from which to draw the perfect quote or phrase for your next dinner party with the Royal Family. This being said, one has to recognize the impressive research and work done by editor Scheidlower; it is comprehensive.

Prospective readers need to keep in mind that this is a dictionary, and as such is structured exactly like any other dictionary, with all of the standard formatting and notation. This makes reading this book slow and jerky, ultimately affecting overall enjoyment. Interesting and useful within the individual entries are chronological notations, providing historical information on the origins and evolution of your favorite f-----g phrases.

The foreword by Roy Blount, Jr. provides the book a touch of literati legitimacy, but is ultimately rambling and unfocused. Sure, it's interesting, but he's not saying anything we don't already know.

The book concludes with a far too brief "Guide To The F-Word In Some Other Languages." Inspired concept, extremely poor execution. No, we don't need hundreds of pages exploring f--k in other languages, but if you're going to provide this little goodie, go the extra mile and complete the work. Yeah, German, French, Spanish, Latin, even Esperanto, Hebrew, and Basque are listed, but where are Sicilian, Corsican, Boer, Swahili, etc.? I've just gotta know!

Wow, these effin' publishers are really airing our taboos. I just finished reading Jim Dawson's history of farts ("Who Cut the Cheese?"), and now I'm reading Jesse Sheidlower's equally informative and fun dissertation on the word f-k (can I write it out here?), only this time it's being published by a big time effin' publisher. Good bathroom reading, and it's about time we owned up to our favorite words (and pastimes), and if the bluenoses don't like it, eff 'em!

The F-Word: Second Edition adds nice aesthetic touches and adds more uses of the infamous taboo word F***. An excellent book that I highly recommend to everyone whether or not you become easily offended.

This book contains probably more than anyone could possibly want to know (but at least have at one point contemplated during drunken conversation with friends) about a word that..., still has the power to shock and/or offend.

The fact that this book does exist and has been so thoroughly researched before being released confirms what most people have suspected for quite some time; that words indeed are losing their force as a means of communication. This (drastically overworked) term, once found predominantly in hard-edged movies ("Scarface" being the most obvious example to come to mind) and hardcore rap/heavy metal music is now found in mainstream, widely acceptable films such as "High Fidelity" and cool '60's-style pop music acts such as the ridiculously brilliant Dandy Warhols. We have to face up to the fact that the shock value of the word is gone (although writing it out in an Amazon review will still result in its censorship).

That being as it may, I know there are still those who consider themselves to be guardians of the English language (a lot of them being English teachers) who still take offense at the proliferation of the word...

This book contains probably more than anyone could possibly want to know (but at least have at one point contemplated during drunken conversations with friends) about a word that, judging by some of the horrified reviews I've read before posting my own, still has the power to shock and/or offend.

The fact that this book does exist and has been so thoroughly researched before being released confirms what most people have suspected for quite some time; that words indeed are losing their force as a means of communication. This (drastically overworked) term, once found predominantly in hard-edged movies ("Scarface" being the most obvious example to come to mind) and hardcore rap/heavy metal music is now found in mainstream, widely acceptable films such as "High Fidelity" and cool '60's-style pop music acts such as the ridiculously brilliant Dandy Warhols. We have to face up to the fact that the shock value of the word is gone (although writing it out in an Amazon review will still result in its censorship).

That being as it may, I know there are still those who consider themselves to be guardians of the English language (a lot of them being English teachers) who still take offense at the proliferation of the word. I'd like to see these elbow-patched, corduroy-jacketed souls buying a copy of this book and assigning a student who was misfortunate enough to be heard uttering the expression the task of reading the book and submitting a 10-page report on it. F***, I'm tempted to do it just to see if I can get it published somewhere.

I seriously believe there's no such thing as an "obscene" word; it's usage that gives a word any perceived obscenity. That said, "The F Word" is an interesting little book that doesn't mince...um...words. The smart and irreverent introduction provides you with the etymology of the f word; Roy Blount's foreword is another nice touch.

Then there's the body of the book. This is a dictionary, straight and simple. Like any other dictionary, it gets a little eye-numbing if you try to read it straight through. This is a volume to dip into in bits and pieces. The F Word is a definitive study of a the word that we're not supposed to say but all know so very well! Use it for humor, use it for reference, use it your own word education. Writers stuck for an insult within their prose will certainly find a plethora of potential in these pages.

The newly revised F-WORD manages to be even more fun to read (and to give as the perfect gift - every house needs one). I have learned new uses and been left incredulous by some I can't even say out loud.

Here it is folks. The truth about what we say. Who defines our vocabulary anyway? Who decides what IS or IS NOT a "bad" word?! This is a great book -- one everybody should read! Makes a super coffee table read!

The first few pages of this book is f'ing funny!! But after about 5 minutes, one gets pretty tired of it. I got this as a gift, but i don't think i would spend money on this book. In my opinion, this is not a really good read or a good buy, but rather a cool novelty gift, or an easy way to impress your friends, and laugh for a few minutes. Don't know if it's only me, but Bevis & Butthead come into mind when i think about someone reading this book.

Whats not to like about the F-word? Its fierce, its funny, its frightening, its even fantastic! If you object to it, you must have duct-tape on. Go buy this book and show your respect to the F word!