The Lexicon: A Cornucopia of Wonderful Words for the Inquisitive Word Lover

Just received the book and WOW! I always watched his show and tried to watch him whenever he was on at other times. Anyone that was with me cringed when I watched him but .... their loss! When I read the words and where he used them I can picture him in his chair, leaning back and finding the correct word before putting his sentence together. A recent Vanity Fair issue had some great insight to him and his wife. What a man! Now I have to get the dvds to get what the book can't give ....... the "expressions" to go with the words! Like a previous review, I too wish the pronunciations would have been included in the book. Lexicons will STILL be a dictionary for me.

This witty, neat little book is the perfect gift for word-lovers of all ages. I am a college professor, and a published author, and this book has really helped me in my writing. If only I could speak as well as Buckley does...

Buckley has fashioned yet another utterly usable list stoppage, badinage of detritus waiting in abeyance for the vagaries of postmodernities force fields to scour through yet another product emanation from an impeccable vainglorious watchdog for the Ruling Classes. The predictable augurs,tail wagging, arbiter elegantiae, his indolence doesn't quite proceed to the corruptible USA Senators. We have provincial sentence examples of humorous references to the rogues gallery of the communist world but his spleen venting abruptly halts itself at the shores of the Potomac. I can see/envisioned Buckley's upbeat brow turned upwards,ad spasmistaie towards the heavens,fully content with his own conceit, his odious animus against all that doesn't strike,agree,conspire congruently with capitalistic content,its resonant free world peel of greed bells.

When it comes to the English language William F. Buckley is an epicurean extraordinaire and "The Lexicon" is a must for any committed logophile. Still a few caveats must be undulated Some of the words included are as quizzical as some of those that are omitted. Alphabetically, the reference runs from "abattoir" to "xenophobia"--which seems a strange place to stop. Why there is no inclusion of "yokefellow" or "yaw" nor "zaftig" or "zeitgeist" is enigmatic at best. A second anomaly is that certain definitions differ from what is found my copy of "Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary." Mr. Buckley identifies "promulgate" as "to issue a new law or regulation;" Webster's definition says "to make known by open declaration...(or) to set forth or teach publicly." For "synecdoche" Mr. Buckley offers "the single example in place of the whole; the one for the many." Webster is more encompassing with "a figure of speech in which the part is used for the whole or the whole for a part." Webster's says that "kedge" means "to wrap or pull...(or) a small anchor," while Buckley's related but contrasting explanation reads "to anchor securely." As with ALL vocabulary sources, check the definition in a dictionary before using the word!While not terribly detrimental Mr. Buckley pleonastically includes more than one form of several words. The use of both "intrinsic" and "intrinsically," "mollify" and mollifying," "invidious" and "invidiously," "stultification and stultifying" among many other double versions comes across as a rebarbative padding device--completely unnecessary in a collection this tumescent.While the incorporation of words such as "salient," "levity," "obtrude," "junket" and a handful of other less than exotic choices is debatable, the assumption that some readers will be unacquainted with them is not quixotic. However, selecting "plainspoken" for placement within such a gallimaufry is truly outlandish. It seems highly doubtful that anyone unfamiliar with such a quotidian word would have the need for such an abstruse vocabulary primer. Despite these minor to moderate drawbacks, this book is unreservedly recommended for those interested in elevating their speaking prowess. For three years I have been operating a "Word of the Day" email service/webpage (sent me a message if you wish to join) and "The Lexicon" boasted a plethora of specimens that I had never before encountered. So while all my above comments are valid, they are nugatory distractions compared to the numinous lagniappes that can be acquired from a perusal or two.

This is THE book to have if you love English. There are wonderful examples of each word included. It's nice little size make it easy to take with you. The only reason it didn't get five stars from me is that it lacks the pronunciation of each word. Some you can guess, others, well, you better have a good dictionary on hand!