In the first edition of his Dictionary of the English Language (1755) the term lexicographer is defined by Samuel Johnson as a ‘harmless drudge that busies himself in … detailing the signification of words’. A dunce, in other words. Really?
Rogue’s Lexicon
Born in New York, George Washington Matsell was the son of an immigrant family from Helhoughton (near Fakenham), Norfolk. His father ran a bookshop on Broadway. Following in his footsteps, George opened up his own premises on Chatham Street, Manhattan (renamed Park Row in 1886). A man of words (in 1866 he acquired ownership of the National Police Gazette), he also took an interest in matters of law and order. He became a magistrate in 1840 and was appointed the first Commissioner of the New York City Police Department after its formation in 1844. [Read more…] about Words From Underground: Madness and the OED
Longtime Glens Falls Post-Star reporter Maury Thompson will present a program on local figure Charles Evans Hughes on April 12th in Ticonderoga.
Women March in Seneca Falls will host a panel discussion of media professionals, “People for Free Press…a First Amendment Right,” on March 25, 2017 at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park. This non-partisan, inclusive event seeks to inform about the U.S. Constitution’s right of a free press. Panelists will focus remarks on the First Amendment right to a free press and their personal/professional experience with efforts in the US to diminish that right. A Q&A will follow the presentations.