(See also p. 53)

A book about terms and phrases, especially those coined by some linguistic emergency. Slang words and phrases which promise to be permanent are included, and foreign phrases now part of the English language.

1. What is a thesaurus?

Questions

2. In what way does a book of synonyms undiscriminated differ from a thesaurus?

3. What are the advantages of the old edition of Crabb's "Synonyms" over the new edition?

4. Which is the most enlarged edition of Roget's "Thesaurus"?

5. How does Soule's book of synonyms differ from Roget's?

6. Which of our unabridged dictionaries gives synonyms and antonyms?

7. How many dictionaries of discriminated synonyms are there?

8. Compare Smith's book of synonyms with the centennial edition of Crabb's.

9. Name some desirable points in a dictionary of discriminated synonyms. 10. What is the smallest book of synonyms on the market?

11. Define etymology, philology, orthoepy, orthography, semantics.

12. What American etymologist was an extreme purist in the use of words? 13. What etymologist defended had rather as correct, and what etymologist condemned it?

14. Who wrote "Biographies of Words"?

15. Name a work by the editor-in-chief of the Century Dictionary.

16. Who is the chief authority on the etymology of English geographical names?

17. Who wrote a book on spelling reform?

18. Name a primer on the history of language.

CHAPTER V

REFERENCE BOOKS

"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it."-Boswell's "Life of Johnson."

REFERENCE books change less than any other class of books. New reference books, or new editions of old reference books, have, of recent years, been very few. With most other classes of books, there never can be any finality to our study of them, because "of making many books there is no end." It is not possible with such books to learn about them once and for all time. They are always changing. A bookseller, every year, has as many old books to forget as he has new books to remember. With reference books it is different. They come nearer to being a constant quantity than does any other class of books. Consequently, there may be a more or less fixed knowledge of reference books.

Though reference books offer little difficulty in the way of flux, they offer considerable difficulty in the way of selection and of use. The first difficulty belongs more properly to the bookseller, the second to the librarian. Book selection is the bookseller's highest province. The best can only be known by comparison, so that to select the best he must know all. The difficulty in the use of reference books, though more a matter for the librarian, concerns a bookseller, too, to this extent. Whether a reference book is easy or hard to use depends largely upon the index. Therefore, in reference book selecting, look to the index. Good indexes are rare; and the poorer the index, the greater the skill that is required to make good use of it.

Among reference books there are two series deserving of mention: the Dutton Miniature Reference Library, in forty-seven volumes; and the Pocket Reference Library of Funk & Wagnalls in fifteen volumes. Both these series include books on all the subjects in this chapter.

Classical Dictionaries

A classical dictionary is a volume of collective biography dealing with the lives of gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology, and with the lives of historical characters of classical times. In addition to biographical information, there is usually included some geographical information about cities and places mentioned in the classics,-places not on our present-day maps.

BULFINCH, THOMAS. 1796-1867.

The Age of Fable; or, Beauties of Mythology. 1855. Altemus; Dutton; Lothrop; McKay; Stokes.

This is one of the few reference books which it is a delight to read as well as to consult. It has remained a perennial favorite. The author, a Bostonian, took advantage of the popular interest in mythology awakened by Nathaniel Hawthorne in his "Wonder Book" (1851) and "Tanglewood Tales" (1853), and launched his book just at the right time. "The Age of Fable" is a story-book of "mythology as connected with literature." The Index at the end adapts it to purposes of reference, and makes it a "Classical Dictionary for the parlor."

FAIRBANKS, ARTHUR. 1864

The Mythology of Greece and Rome. Appleton, 1907.

Presented with special reference to its influence on literature. The author, assistant director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, has illustrated and substantiated his text throughout by reproductions of classic vase paintings, wall paintings, metal work and the like, that reveal the intimate side of this ancient life.

The Classic Myths in English Literature. Ginn. Revised and enlarged, 1911.

Based chiefly on Bulfinch, it enlarges on his idea of "mythology as connected with literature."

(See also p. 207 and 208)

GUERBER, HÉLÈNE ADELINE.

Myths of Greece and Rome. American Book Company, 1893.

Related with special reference to art as well as to literature. LEMPRIÈRE, JOHN. 1765 (?)-1824.

Classical Dictionary of Proper Names Mentioned in Ancient Authors. 1788. Dutton.

Lemprière's is the oldest classical dictionary in English. The author was an English clergyman and a famous classical scholar. His great work formed the basis for the first classical dictionary in America, the work of Charles Anthon (1841). Anthon edited a new edition of Lemprière (1822) and also revised Smith's classical dictionary. His own work (Harper) is out of print.

MURRAY, ALEXANDER STUART. 1841-1904.

Manual of Mythology. 1873. Altemus; McKay.

The author was Keeper of the Department of Greek and Roman antiquities in the British Museum. His manual includes both classical and non-classical (post-classical) mythology. It covers Greek and Roman, Norse and Old German, Hindoo and Egyptian mythology. The only other dictionary of non-classical mythology on the market is that compiled by Marian Edwardes and Lewis Spence in Dutton's Everyman's Library.

PECK, HARRY THURSTON. 1856-1914.

Harper's Dictionary of Classical Literature and Antiquities. (Harper's 1897.) American Book Company.

This is the largest of the classical dictionaries and the most inclusive. It covers Greek and Roman antiquities, biography, geography, history, literature, and mythology.

SEYFFERT, OSKAR.

Dictionary of Classified Antiquities, Mythology, Religion, Literature, and Art. Translated from the German and edited by Henry Nettleship and J. E. Sandys. Macmillan, 1891.

o. p.

A high German authority which includes the latest results of archeology.

A Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology, and Geography. 1842. Little, o. p.

A Smaller Classical Dictionary. Dutton, Everyman's, 1910. (See also p. 48)

The author was an English classical and biblical scholar. His Bible dictionary and classical dictionary have long been standard works of reference. The classical dictionary has been revised and enlarged by later editors. Smith himself made an abridgment of it for schools (Harper, o. p.). The Everyman's reprint of this abridgment, edited by E. H. Blakeney, includes valuable new material on Greek artists, Greek philosophers, classical architecture, other classical dictionaries, and writers before 1450. Smith's classical dictionary is the best-known and the most popular.

Greek and Roman Mythology. Century, 1916.

A popular, untechnical treatment of the subject. GRAY, LOUIS HERBERT. Editor. 1875

Mythology of All Races. 13 vols. (seven ready) Jones, 1916-20. This authoritative and beautiful set has had contributions from leading authorities throughout the world. It is beautifully il lustrated, many of the illustrations being in color.

Bible Concordances

A concordance is an alphabetical index of principal words in partial contexts, showing the places where the words occur in their full contexts. A concordance is sometimes limited to common words, exclusive of proper names. A concordance is not necessarily of the Bible only. There are concordances to the works of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and others.

CRUDEN, ALEXANDER. 1701-1770.

A Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments. 1737, Warne.

The author of this famous work was a London bookseller, who was repeatedly confined in an insane asylum. He devoted all his lucid moments to the composition of this book. The concordance has been thoroughly revised by William Youngman. It is divided into three alphabets: common words; proper names; and the apocryphal books.