Noah Webster

Man of Many Words

Catherine Reef

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9780544133440

An “excellent” biography of the man behind Webster’s Dictionary and the role he played in American history ( School Library Journal, starred review).
 
Noah Webster may be best remembered for the enormous and ambitious task of writing his famous dictionary, but there was much more to his accomplishments. His goal was to streamline the language spoken in a newly formed country so it could be used as a force to bring people together and a source of national pride. Though people laughed at his ideas, Webster never doubted himself. In the end, his so-called foolish notions achieved just what he had hoped.
 
Here, in the only biography of Noah Webster written for teen readers, we journey through Webster’s remarkable life, from boyhood on a Connecticut farm, through the fight for American independence to his days as a writer and political activist who greatly influenced our founding fathers and the direction of the young United States.
 
“Capably weaves Webster’s biography into the history of America’s early years.” —Booklist
 
“Impeccably researched . . . Provides readers with a glimpse at historical figures such as Thomas Paine, George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Index

Page numbers in bold type denote illustration and photo captions.

A

Adams, John, 101

Adams, John Quincy, 130, 130–31

African Americans, 7, 114, 116, 170 See also slavery.

alphabet

adding letters, 53, 84

in early textbook, 9, 9

the letter “A,” 5

subtracting letters, 84

America, colonial

French and Indian War, 10, 12–13, 13, 28

readers used in, 9, 9, 53–54

taxation by Great Britain, 13–14, 24–25

An American Dictionary of the English Language (Webster)

completion, 155

copyright today, 168

description, 155–57, 158, 159

editing of, 154–55

font, 152

funding challenges, 136–37, 143

later editions

abridged, 159

new edition, 164

revised and illustrated, 168

legacy, 169–71

publication, 152, 154, 155

research trip to Europe, 147–50

reviews, 156–57

types of words included, 152, 155–56

writing of, 132–33, 133, 146, 153, 154–55

American Magazine (Webster, ed.), 92–94, 98

American Minerva (Webster, ed.), 108, 110, 112, 114, 115, 117

American Revolution

beginning, 29

end, 46, 46–47

events leading up to, 13–14, 16, 24–29, 30

militiamen, 24, 26, 26–28, 32

New England during, 31, 32–34, 33

the South during, 73, 74, 76

“Yankee Doodle” theme song, 27, 28

American Spelling Book (Webster), 113

blue-paper cover, 160, 169, 169

and copyright law, 55, 56–59, 60–62, 68

copyright to Merriam Com...