Uncover a pivotal moment in the Webster-Worcester publishing tale and its impact on English dictionaries.
This nonfiction work presents a detailed look at disputes over a London edition of Worcester’s Dictionary and the questions it raised about authorship, copyright, and accuracy. Through correspondence and firsthand statements, it reveals how publishers, editors, and authors navigated controversy in the 19th century.
The material frames the scope of the dispute and the stakes for reputations and readers. It offers a window into the pressures of publishing, the care taken in presenting linguistic authority, and the challenges of cross‑Atlantic collaboration.
- Context for the Worcester and Webster dictionary rivalry in the United States and London.
- How titles, prefaces, and attributions were contested and defended.
- Excerpts from letters and commentary that illustrate the confrontation between publishers and authors.
- Insights into 19th‑century attitudes toward definitions, pronunciation, and orthography.
Ideal for readers of publishing history, linguistic scholarship, and the long‑standing dialogue about what makes a dictionary trustworthy and authoritative.