My Humanities essay on the rise of cool, the American slang term that took on new life beginning in the … More

I am not an acrostic afficianado, but was delighted to learn there is a type of crossword that is used … More

The literary and cultural blog So Very Very published a delightful review of The Story of Ain’t, one of my … More

I wrote an article about the history of the term redskin for Lexicon Valley, the language blog on Slate. (Lexicon … More

“A book about a dictionary may sound a dry read. I’ve found one that’s implausibly entertaining. It’s a recent American … More

Ruth Walker compares The Story of Ain’t to The Professor and the Madman, and quotes PJ O’Rourke’s words of praise … More

“I’m happy to have this occasion to post an enthusiastic recommendation: You should immediately run out (virtually or physically) and … More

When it happens I feel as if I have stepped into a Far Side cartoon. I am a magazine editor, … More

The Times called The Story of Ain’t “an engrossing account of the continuing ruckus over Webster’s Third New International Dictionary.”

Last week I drove to historic Chestertown to talk about The Story of Ain’t with a nonfiction reading group at … More