Written by a New York Times columnist renowned for his crotchety wit, this tome enlightens readers concerning proper usage, correct pronunciation, the roots of daily discourse, and the vacuous lingo in which "subsume" is co-opting "co-opt", word-burning stoves become "energy systems", and stores that sell eyeglasses squint out at the public as "vision centers". The author is aided in his campaign for precision and clarity in language by a legion of...

On cover: A novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. A historical novel exploring the first two years of the Civil War.

This volume unveils the story behind the nation's first great political scandals. James Thomson Callender, the "scandalmonger" of the title, is an ambitious gossip-peddling editor secretly hired by Thomas Jefferson as a political weapon. After carefully damaging Alexander Hamilton's reputation, thereby paving the way for Jefferson's success, Callender is shunned by the very politicians on whose behalf he was jailed for sedition. Broke and betrayed,...

"William Safire, America's favorite writer on language, offers a new collection of pieces drawn from his nationally syndicated "On Language" column. Laced with liberal (a loaded word, but apt) doses of Safire's wit, these pieces search culture (high and low), politics, entertainment, and the word on the street to explore what the old but livelier-than-ever English language has been up to lately." "With a keen wit and a sure grasp of usage, Safire...

A collection of writings from the "New York Times" column "On Language" which provide observations on grammar, usage, and etymology.