By Erzsebet Gilbert
Wolverine Farm Publishing, $ 18.95, 221 pages
ISBN 9780982337295

Colubriferous. Xenodochium. Engastration. Limax. Turngree. Isabelline. Chirm. Many a curious and delightful word has been rediscovered by plumbing the depths of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Erzsebet Gilbert has compiled a panoply of linguistic gems for your perusal in Logodaedaly, or, Sleight-of-Words.

Possessing a whimsical nature rarely found in even the most logofascinated of tomes, Logodaedaly revels in the curious and convoluted paths many words have taken throughout our shared linguistic history, before joining the bizarre melting pot that is the English language. One of the book’s highlights are the expansive examples of usage for each word, allowing paragraphs and contextual description galore where most dictionaries and resources of word-worship offer mere sentences or phrases. The sheer color and personality offered by each encapsulates briefly both the history and spirit of the language at the time of the word’s more common usage.

Gilbert gleefully includes brief examinations of the evolution of the English language and the birth of the Oxford English Dictionary itself, both penned in the manner of an overjoyed and effusive narrator. It’s terrific stuff, to be sure. So let Gilbert be your guide into a weirder linguistic world. You won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas