{"product_id":"the-dictionary-wars-the-american-fight-over-the-english-language-9780691210179","title":"The Dictionary Wars: The American Fight Over the English Language","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA compelling history of the national conflicts that resulted from efforts to produce the first definitive American dictionary of English \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Dictionary Wars\u003c\/i\u003e recounts the patriotic fervor in the early American republic to produce a definitive national dictionary that would rival Samuel Johnson's 1755 \u003ci\u003eDictionary of the English Language\u003c\/i\u003e. But what began as a cultural war of independence from Britain devolved into a battle among lexicographers, authors, scholars, and publishers, all vying for dictionary supremacy and shattering forever the dream of a unified American language. Peter Martin tells of the intense rivalry between America's first lexicographers, Noah Webster and Joseph Emerson Worcester, and how their conflict continued beyond Webster's death, when the ambitious Merriam brothers acquired publishing rights to Webster's \u003ci\u003eAmerican Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e. The dictionary wars also engaged America's colleges, libraries, newspapers, religious groups, and state legislatures at a pivotal historical moment that coincided with rising literacy and the print revolution. Delving into personal stories and national debates, \u003ci\u003eThe Dictionary Wars\u003c\/i\u003e examines the linguistic struggles that underpinned the founding and growth of a nation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Martin\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of numerous books, including the acclaimed biographies \u003ci\u003eSamuel Johnson\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eA Life of James Boswell\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510692122898,"sku":"9780691210179","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d0a30d29-b468-440f-8773-3bb515b19570.jpg?v=1730932065","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-dictionary-wars-the-american-fight-over-the-english-language-9780691210179","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}