{"product_id":"9780312426200","title":"Defining the World : The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eDefining the World\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Henry Hitchings\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Favorite Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1746, Samuel Johnson undertook the Herculean task of writing the first comprehensive English dictionary. Imagining he could complete the job in three years, Johnson in fact took more than eight, and the dictionary itself turned out to be as much a work of literature as it was an invaluable reference. In alphabetized chapters, from \"Adventurous\" to \"Zootomy,\" Henry Hitchings tells of Johnson's toil and triumph and offers a closer look at the definitions themselves, which were alive with invention, poetry, erudition, and, at times, hilarious imprecision. The story of Johnson's adventure into the essence of words is an entertainment that \"sparkles on every page\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Inventive and entertaining.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hitchings's evident enthrallment with all things Johnsonian is contagious.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Roanoke Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] marvelous account of the making of the dictionary. . . . \u003ci\u003eDefining the World \u003c\/i\u003eis one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year. Hitchings is a buoyant, zestful writer. . . . Also delightful is how Hitchings evokes the presence and temperament, by turns neurotic and assured, crotchety and inquisitive, of the 'book-muncher, the pagemaker, and the cultural steeplejack' who pulled off a remarkable intellectual feat.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Like a good dictionary, Hitchings's work itself is chockablock with enough tidbits and trivia to delight even the looniest of logophiles.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Plain Dealer (Cleveland)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Quite simply, one can never get too much Samuel Johnson.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A well-written, intelligently organized, and thoroughly readable book . . . It is obvious that Hitchings loves to read Johnson's dictionary. . . . The great thing about \u003ci\u003eDefining the World\u003c\/i\u003e is that it makes us want to read it too.” —\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hitchings manages to make the story of a dictionary not only interesting but positively compelling.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Examiner (Washington, D.C.)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hitchings's affectionate tribute accomplishes a worthy task of allowing us to admire anew Johnson's life and great work.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Commercial Dispatch (Mississippi)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A spirited, learned account . . . Hitchings does a masterful job of describing Johnson's approach. . . . A first-rate synthesis of one of literary history's most astonishing endeavors.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book is the riveting account of how Dr Johnson, an eighteenth-century man, blind in one eye, terrified of death and convinced he was lazy, compiled what is considered to be the definitive dictionary of the English language. Hitchings brings Johnson's humanity and the massive task he undertook to touchable life.” —\u003ci\u003eBeryl Bainbridge, The Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hitchings's sprightly book about the dictionary gives a full picture of Johnson during a difficult decade of melancholy toil.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hitchings skillfully re-creates Johnson's beloved London, a gin-soaked city of commercial ambition, petty jealousies and danger lurking down dark alleyways.” —\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780312426200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40654259192014,"sku":"9780312426200","price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_005c8e9d-d133-4ec2-a9ed-120b0b23f3c4.jpg?v=1639364168","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780312426200","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}