Paul Dickson "Authorisms: Words Wrought by Writers"

Apr 23 2014

Clock icon WHEN:

Apr 23, 2014 at 6:30pm

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Zenger Room

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Nicole Hoffman

[email protected]

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NPC Book Event

AuthorismsGifted lexicographer Paul Dickson will discuss his new book "Authorisms" and sign copies of the book after the discussion.

Dickson deftly sorts through neologisms by Chaucer (a ha), Jane Austen (base ball), Louisa May Alcott (co-ed), Mark Twain (hard-boiled), Kurt Vonnegut (granfalloon), John le Carrè (mole), William Gibson (cyberspace), and many others. Presenting stories behind each word and phrase, Dickson enriches our appreciation of the English language in a book as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Paul DicksonWilliam Shakespeare’s written vocabulary consisted of 17,245 words, including hundreds that were coined or popularized by him. Some of the words never went further than their appearance in his plays, but others—like bedazzled, hurry, critical, and anchovy—are essential parts of our standard vocabulary today.

This event is a fundraiser for the NPC Journalism Institute. No outside books or memorabilia permitted. All sales are final.