Description:
New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000. First edition thus. . Trade Paper. Very Good/Very Good. Book is clean. Pages have no markings.
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Summary
Word enthusiasts will find trivia and treasure" (Kirkus Reviews) in this collection of unusual etymologies authored by an unmatched prose stylist and fabulous wordsmith.
Over the centuries, thousands of our words have been so twisted, tangled, misused, and muddled that their original meanings have been obscured. You'll be surprised to learn that table napkins were once made of and referred to as asbestos, a cloud was once a hill, and lasagna could be
literally translated as chamberpot pasta. In The Secret Lives of Words, acclaimed author and stylist Paul West fulfills a personal odyssey to seek out the elusive roots of these and a few hundred other of his favorite words, from abracadabra to zoot suit. Derived from handwritten notebooks, West chronicles the tortuous travels of words across continents and through cultures in this Antiques Road Show approach to etymology. A delight in both form and content, West's collection will capture the attention of word enthusiasts, speakers, writers, thinkers, and readers around the globe.
Over the centuries, thousands of our words have been so twisted, tangled, misused, and muddled that their original meanings have been obscured. You'll be surprised to learn that table napkins were once made of and referred to as asbestos, a cloud was once a hill, and lasagna could be
literally translated as chamberpot pasta. In The Secret Lives of Words, acclaimed author and stylist Paul West fulfills a personal odyssey to seek out the elusive roots of these and a few hundred other of his favorite words, from abracadabra to zoot suit. Derived from handwritten notebooks, West chronicles the tortuous travels of words across continents and through cultures in this Antiques Road Show approach to etymology. A delight in both form and content, West's collection will capture the attention of word enthusiasts, speakers, writers, thinkers, and readers around the globe.
Details
- Title The Secret Lives of Words
- Author Paul West
- Binding Paperback
- Edition 1st
- Pages 304
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Harvest Books, USA
- Date 2001-07-10
- ISBN 9780156014090 / 0156014092
- Weight 0.81 lbs (0.37 kg)
- Dimensions 8.03 x 5.32 x 0.87 in (20.40 x 13.51 x 2.21 cm)
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 99052623
- Dewey Decimal Code 422.03
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The Secret Lives of Words
by Paul West
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Secret Lives of Words
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San Diego, CA, USA: Harvest Book, 2001 unused book / old store stock with a little bit of shelf wear, corner tips are bumped, no tears, no spine crease, text is clean and unmarked, very light fading on the back cover along the spine
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The Secret Lives of Words
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New York: Harcourt, Inc.. Fine copy. 2001. 1st. softcover. 8vo, 296 pp. .
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Harvest Books, 2001. Paperback. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Secret Lives of Words
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The Secret Lives of Words
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