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Spread the Word
by William Safire
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Crown (1999-10-26)
ISBN: 0812932536
EAN: 9780812932539
Dewy Decimal #: 428
Hardcover: 320 pages
Release Date: 1999-10-26
SKU: 27371
Condition: New
Comments: THE HARDBACK BOOK! TIMES BOOKS, 1999. THE UNABRIDGED 1ST EDITION. WITH GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS! HARDCOVER W/GILT LETTERING, DUST JACKET AND PAGES ARE NEW! RAPID SHIPPING W/FREE TRACKING. GREAT PACKAGING. AIR MAIL.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
As William Safire writes in his introduction to Spread the Word, the eleventh book collecting his "On Language" columns from The New York Times Magazine, in language matters "it's a comfort to have a rule." And yet, as he makes clear throughout this entertaining collection,
the question that confronts writers and public speakers daily is deciding when a rule should be applied rigorously to a linguistic dilemma, and when that rule is best sidelined by common sense.
In the two decades that Safire has entertained and enlightened readers of his weekly column, he has consistently enlivened our national conversation about what's new and what's acceptable in language. In Spread the Word, he adroitly dissects the evolution of current phrases, verbal trends, and the origins of colloquialisms that often go unexamined. He tackles all topics, from the habits of newspaper editorial writers to teenagers' argot to the often tortured speech of politicians.
Here, Safire examines such conundrums as the origin of There is no free lunch; the correct use of among and between; the evolution of the word babe; the subtle distinctions between diddly squat, diddle-daddle, and just plain diddle; the meaning of bad hair day, tough sell, hard love, and shoulda, coulda, woulda; the vogue status of such words as daunting, same-old-same-old, and dope; and the inherent humor of bananas.
In this vigorous and erudite assemblage, which is organized alphabetically by topic, Safire shares his infectious curiosity about how we use words with an approach that is often amusing and always thought-provoking. In fact, "On Language" columns often elicit passionate comments from Safire's readers, the Lexicographic Irregulars. A lively selection of their letters on specific linguistic issues is interspersed throughout the book.
From a reader in Providence, Rhode Island, "on the indispensability of the hyphen: Personals ads seem to be a goldmine of casual usage, never proofread and seldom submitted to grammarians for grading. One gem was from a man who started describing himself as a BIG FIRM ATTORNEY."
And this from Fred Cassidy, chief editor of The Dictionary of American Regional English: "Your picture of the stupid dog not responding to the command 'sic 'em' reminds me of the corresponding cat story of the man who had made three holes in the bottom of his door so that his cats could come and go when the door was closed. An efficiency-minded neighbor asked him, Couldn't all your cats use a single hole? 'No!' he glared. 'When I say scat I mean scat!'"
Shown by the many letters included here--and in the delight that the Gotcha! Gang takes in correcting America's foremost language maven--readers take great enjoyment in the national dialogue that William Safire fosters about words every week.
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Amazon.com Review
William Safire's "On Language" column, 20 years old with the publication of this collection, is one of Sunday morning's great pleasures: Where else can one turn for a timely linguistic assessment of a president's inaugural speech, a corporation's annual report, or the use of terms such as stud muffin and horny? A still greater pleasure is reading Safire's language columns in book form, where they are accompanied by letters from tireless members of the Nitpickers' League, the Gotcha! Gang, the Squad Squad, the Board of Octogenarian Mentors, and others. The columns may be Safire's, but the letters--from Jacques Barzun, Alistair Cooke, William A. Sabin, even Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and Benazir Bhutto--are allowed the final word. And imperfect wordsmiths everywhere may be relieved to know that even William Safire can make a mistake. "Sometimes," he writes in his introduction to Spread the Word, "a kindly copy editor will call to say, 'Are you deliberately trying to slip this egregious error into the paper?'" --Jane Steinberg
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Customer Reviews
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Safire's usual brilliance
Rating  (5)
Date: 2000-10-10
19 out of 19 customers found this reveiw helpful
Safire's collections of On Language articles are always wonderful. This gem is no exception. Safire explores myriad areas of interest to word lovers. However, he does so in an enjoyable manner. Safire has a splendid sense of humor, making this book a wonderful selection, even for those who are not interested in words/english usage for their own sake. The format is also quite enjoyable, as Safire includes readers' responses to his articles, further enlightening the reader on each subject. I especially enjoy, as always, his presentation of grammatical bloopers from Madison Avenue. In short, this book is positively priceless!
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