Book review: This history of American dictionaries will educate and amuse you

When the author was a boy he got a gift which changed his life. It was a Merriam-Webster dictionary. How Fatsis treasured that volume.

He went on to become a journalist and realized there was a fascinating subculture of competitive Scrabble players to investigate. He immersed himself in that wordy world, becoming a competitive Scrabble player himself.

In 2001 he published “Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players.” Since I adore the game myself I had Fatsis on my radio show for the publication of the hardcover. The following year I had him on again for the release of the paperback version. In 2011 I interviewed him a third time for the 10th anniversary edition of “Word Freak.” That’s how much I liked that book.

This new book began as a long piece for Slate. Fatsis was able to dig into the history of the dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster and realized there was much more there, this was a book. He ended up obtaining permission to go inside the company, to actually work there, as a “lexicographer-in-training.” He spent years researching the history of what began as the first great American dictionary created by Noah Webster.

Fatsis had larger ambitions; he wanted to add some words to the dictionary himself. Readers discover how dictionaries have changed and how quickly new words can enter our conversations. Fatsis was determined to get some of those new words into the dictionary through his own efforts.

He takes us inside the world of dictionaries, within drawers where millions of slips of paper resided. Each slip had a word on it along with examples of how it was used and citations showing when that word first appeared along with examples of times when it turned up in books, newspapers or whatever.

Will this be the last print dictionary ever issued in the United States? It could be. Fatsis was able to get some words into the dictionary. We find out what those words are.

One driver of words entering conversations is President Donald Trump. He cites numerous examples of words that got popular — some stuck, others faded from usage as rapidly as they appeared.

My third grade teacher Sister Ellen Clare taught us new words. I have never forgotten them. Words like “prevaricate,” “procrastinate,” and “debris.” She was the one who inspired my passion for words. I am certain she is in heaven. Indubitably.