NOW READING: Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary- Tenth Edition (1996)

That’s right folks, Project Bookshelf is launching at dork factor five!  The goal of reading every single book in the house is admittedly a pretty dorky thing, so I thought I would show you right off the bat how committed I am to achieving my goal. 

Of all the books in the house, a dictionary is probably one that nobody expects a person to pick up with the intent of reading it cover to cover.  You can argue that it is not even meant to be read this way.  Will it take me a very long time?  Without a doubt- the print is extremely tiny!  Will I get bored?  Probably- reading little chunks of information can only be tolerated for so long.

Will you, dear reader, be bored by my first choice?  I hope not.  To make things interesting, I plan on posting once a week.  I will share with you the words that I found most interesting and any words that I do not particularly like.  Hopefully this will be enough to keep you coming back for more.

As I stated in my previous post, there are actually a few dictionaries in our house.  There is also a Webster’s New World College Dictionary (4^th edition) and one or two small paperback dictionaries that contain fewer words.  I chose this dictionary for two reasons.  First, this dictionary moved into the house with me (you bet I play favorites!). 

Second, this is the only full-size dictionary that is actually connected to its namesake, Noah Webster.  As the introduction page to this dictionary is all too eager to state, the name Webster started getting thrown on all sorts of dictionaries in the mid-1800s.  Enough people slapped Webster’s name on their dictionary that the descendants of Noah Webster could not use the family name as a trademark for a dictionary.

My wife’s dictionary is one of these imposter Websters.  It may be a fine dictionary, but I will stick with the one that relies upon Webster’s original documents and the G & C Merriam Company’s vast lexicographic resources.  Also, I don’t think I need to read two dictionaries.  Oh sure, there are probably numerous differences, but they are bound to have most of the same words inside.  I may read the supplemental materials of the Webster’s New World College Dictionary just to see how they compare.

So there you have it.  Sixteen hundred pages are all that separates me from moving on to book #2.  Time to get reading!