Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. 2: H-O - Hardcover

Lighter, Jonathan E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067943464X ISBN 13: 9780679434641

Publisher: Random House Reference, 1997

Synopsis

The only historical dictionary of slang -- spanning three hundred years of slang use in America.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"A landmark publication, at one stroke sweeping its predecessors into the shade . . . It is one of those rare books that prompts the realization that you have never seen the subject in such sharp focus before."
--John A. Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary

"A monumental book."
--The New York Times

"Will do for nonstandard English what the Oxford English Dictionary did for the whole language".
--William Safire

"No one has ever created a scholarly work that is more fun."
--Newsweek

"The funniest . . . work of profound lexicographical slang-scholarship ever published . . . The book belongs on every patriotice coffee table."
--Nicholson Baker, The New Review of Books

"A browser's joy . . . an awesome tribute to the American popular imagination."
--Boston Globe

From Library Journal

In 1947 Random House launched its first dictionary, the celebrated American College Dictionary. Today, half a century later, the publisher is recognized as one of the premier lexicographic houses in North America, noted for its careful attention to new vocabulary, both standard and nonstandard. Fittingly, Random House marks its 50th anniversary in the dictionary business with these two major publications, both of which will be familiar to librarians. Volume 2 (H-O) of the slang dictionary, which adds about 10,000 main entries to the corpus, maintains the impressive quality that distinguished Volume 1 (LJ 8/94). The final volume (Q-Z) is scheduled for publication in 2000. This is simply the best slang dictionary ever compiled, and all but the smallest public and academic libraries should have it. The College Dictionary, a descendant of the aforementioned American College Dictionary, first appeared under its current title six years ago (LJ 6/15/91). The new edition is a thorough update, offering first-rate coverage and treatment of American English as used in the mid-1990s. For instance, "chat room" is here, as is the latest connotation of "closure." It competes well with other dictionaries in its class, including Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (LJ 9/1/93) and the American Heritage College Dictionary (1993. 3d ed.). Essential for most collections.?Ken Kister, author of "Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Reference
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 067943464X
• ISBN 13: 9780679434641
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 736