Reviews:
“Tom McMorrow’s “Words of Wit and Wisdom” will certainly be a good addition to any library, and it will have an honored place in mine. The book is much like Sam Johnson’s Dictionary, with quotations serving as illustrations. Dr. Johnson’s 1755 work had some eccentric definitions and a little wit, but I like Tom McMorrow’s explanations better.”
– Valdon Johnson,
Professor Emeritus of English,
University of Northern Iowa
“Tom McMorrow has created a monumental work honed from a lifetime of literary interest. With fascinating quotations selected to cleverly illustrate a broad range of words, he has produced a memorable volume that is illuminating, useful and entertaining. It stands solidly in the tradition of love of language and appreciation of wit, and is a most welcome book that one would want to keep handy for exploration and inspiration.”
– William Wolf,
NYU professor, critic and author
“Words of Wit and Wisdom” is a compilation of ten-dollar words made memorable by Tom McMorrow’s flair for describing their priceless back stories. Dictionary definitions pale when compared to McMorrow’s peculiar brand of etymology. (Pompous, he writes, is “a word that has harrumphed itself into disrepute over the centuries.”) Brimming with references to literature, journalism and history, “Words of Wit and Wisdom” delivers on its promise to entertain even as it informs.
– Jeff Carlton,
Journalist, Dallas, TX
As a linguistic anthropologist, I spend a great deal of time looking at reference works on languages – dictionaries, lexicons, etymological dictionaries, grammars, phrase books, translators’ dictionaries, collections of quotations, dictionaries of slang and usage, thesauruses, and so on. Mr. McMorrow’s new book “Words of Wit and Wisdom” is a little bit of each. That’s one of the reasons it is such a great resource for teachers, students, and lovers of language. The book first came to my attention through a family connection, and I am delighted to see it on the web now, where others can enjoy and learn from it. When it comes out in print, I will definitely be ordering a copy and recommending it to my students and colleagues.
Many people today do not seem to think it important to use language well or to know much about its history and structure. Yet it is the master tool that has made all of culture and technology possible; the achievements of our civilization that we value the most would never have been devised without a communication system as complex, profound, versatile, and rich as language. It separates us from other animals more definitively than genetics, behavior (just another social animal), or anatomy. At the individual level, skill in language is a good predictor of success in school and career. Learning language is a life-long proposition, and the more we consciously pursue it, the more enlivened we will be.
“Words of Wit and Wisdom” connects people to their linguistic heritage and promotes the project of continual cognitive enrichment. It will be an entertaining and infinitely useful support for anyone who wants to speak well and deepen their understanding of language.
– Dorothy D. Wills, Ph.D.
Chair, Dept. of Geography and Anthropology
California State Polytechnic University Pomona