Names through the Ages: The Complete Reference Guide for Writers, History Buffs, and Parents-to-Be - Softcover

Norman, Teresa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425168778 ISBN 13: 9780425168776

Publisher: Berkley, 1999

Synopsis

A person' s name conveys a culture, a history, and a way of looking at the world. And as centuries of war, immigration, rulers, and religions have changed a country, they have also changed the names of its people. In the first book of its kind, Teresa Norman traces the history of Europe, from the ancient Roman era to the present, and shows how names originated and changed throughout the ages. Whether you are a history buff, a writer searching for the proper name for your character, or a parent looking for a special name for your child, Names Through the Ages is a rich resource of ideas, stories, and histories behind thousands of names.Includes names from: * England and Scotland' s Dark Ages and Industrial Revolution * The Norman Conquest and Reformation in Wales * Ireland' s clan revolts and Catholic emancipation * The rise and fall of France' s monarchy * American colonization and Civil War Special features include: * alphabetized listings for easy reference * organized by time period and country * advice on alternate spellings* information on origins and meanings * surname definitions * histories of names and countries

About this title

About the Author

Teresa Norman is the author of The African-American Baby Name Book and A World of Baby Names.

Reviews

Norman (The African-American Baby Name Book) aims her guide at writers, history buffs, and parents-to-be, but while the book is neatly organized, it does not meet the needs of any of these audiences. The information is arranged by country and then by era. Within each era, historical highlights are summarized and naming customs are discussed, followed by lists of given names and surnames with meanings and variant spellings. However, without an index, parents-to-be might have to scan as many as 37 lists to find a specific name. History buffs would find the summaries too brief and the number of countries covered (six) too limited. Writers would be frustrated by the lack of a clear explanation of sources or the criteria used to include a name within a specific era. The lists are too short to be comprehensive, and there is no indication that they feature the most commonly used names. Most readers will also be disappointed by the extensive repetition of names and the brevity of the information provided for each. Norman's thorough research, as demonstrated by the lengthy bibliography, and her straightforward writing style make this book browsable for patrons of larger public libraries. But with a good index and more attention to the names themselves, it could have been a unique and useful resource.AVivian Reed, Long Beach P.L., CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0425168778
• ISBN 13: 9780425168776
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528