902:
205:, a substantially revised and expanded work which was soon recognized as a major English language dictionary. The first copies were electrotype printed at the Boston Stereotype Foundry. The dictionary featured numerous illustrations throughout the text, a relatively new innovation. However, Worcester's work was not technically the first American dictionary to feature illustrations. Having heard about the plans for Worcester's new edition, Webster's publishers, George and Charles Merriam, rushed to put out a similar work. They managed to publish a Pictorial Edition of Webster's
191:
290:
20:
170:
dated
January 25, 1835, accusing Worcester of stealing the definitions of 121 words, claiming their definitions were not published in any other dictionary and challenging Worcester to prove otherwise. Worcester responded saying that the burden of proof fell on Webster but provided his sources anyway.
156:
from
Webster. Worcester protested that he had worked on his dictionary before working for Webster and had used his own research. Webster's first accusations against Worcester were in March 1831, when he wrote to ask if Worcester had taken many definitions from his own work. Worcester replied, "No,
48:'s attempts to Americanize words. Worcester was respected by American writers and his dictionary maintained a strong hold on the American marketplace until a later, posthumous version of Webster's book appeared in 1864. After Worcester's death in 1865, their war ended.
129:
appeared. Having worked as an assistant on the production of
Webster's dictionary, he produced an abridgment of Webster's work in 1829. Worcester believed that Webster's dictionary sacrificed tradition and elegance. Worcester's version added new words, excluded
165:
published an article that called
Worcester's book "a gross plagiarism" and stated that its author "pilfer the products of the mind, as readily as... the common thief." Webster later published an open letter to Worcester in the
268:
on
Longfellow's behalf, Worcester rented a portion of the house from Longfellow until the construction of his own home a few doors down was completed that spring. The home is still standing at 121 Brattle Street in Cambridge.
186:
in 1846. When a
British edition of the work stated that it was based on the work of Noah Webster, and omitted Worcester's introductory statement claiming otherwise, he responded with "A Gross Literary Fraud Exposed".
410:
A Gross
Literary Fraud exposed; relating to the Publication of Worcester's Dictionary in London: Together with Three Appendixes; Including the Answer of S. Converse to an Attack on him by Messrs. G. & C.
297:
Unlike
Webster, Worcester adhered to British pronunciation and spellings, calling them "better", "more accurate", "more harmonious and agreeable". He opposed Webster's phonetic spelling reforms (e.g.
249:
171:
In what is often referred to as the "dictionary wars", rivalry and contention between the two dictionaries continued beyond
Webster's death in 1843, and long after with Webster's successor, the
138:
328:, who predicted it would be used "to supply the wants of common schools". Though Webster's dictionary was the more popular, Worcester's book proved to be a favorite among writers.
975:
317:
noted that the commercial rivalry between the two attracted significant public interest in lexicography and dictionaries. It was not until 1864, when the much-improved
44:
in the mid-nineteenth-century. Their rivalry became known as the "dictionary wars". Worcester's dictionaries focused on traditional pronunciation and spelling, unlike
332:
wrote that the book was one "on which, as is well known, the literary men of this metropolis are by special statute allowed to be sworn in place of the Bible."
392:
Johnson's
Dictionary, as improved by Todd and abridged by Chalmers, with Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary combined, to which is added Walker's Key
281:
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The historian Howard Jackson notes it was not until Worcester's death that the "dictionary war" was finally over.
314:
93:, published in 1827. Worcester collected philological works and wrote a journal in Europe in 1831. For many years, he co-edited the annual
990:
214:
81:; Worcester tutored Hawthorne privately at the boy's home. During this time, Worcester worked on several works on geography, including
985:
423:
An Elementary Dictionary for the Common Schools with Pronouncing Vocabularies of Classical Scripture and Modern Geographical Names
256:, first apothecary general of the United States. When Mrs. Craigie died, Worcester rented out the entire house from her heirs and
321:, which completely revised etymologies, was published, that the Worcester dictionary was outsold in the American marketplace.
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English Dictionary, as Improved by Todd, and Abridged by Chalmers; with Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary Combined
398:
A Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language with Pronouncing Vocabularies
933:
233:
In 1841 he married Amy Elizabeth McKean; the couple had no children. McKean, daughter of the founder of
261:
221:, which appeared in 1864. Worcester's dictionary was posthumously revised in 1886, but was eclipsed by
329:
66:
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125:
40:
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62:
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8:
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217:. More competition arrived in the form of the Merriam's revised edition of Webster's
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Pierre M. Irving and Washington Irving: A Collaboration in Life and Letters
374:
Elements of History, Ancient and Modern, accompanied by an Historical Atlas
141:
121:
91:
Elements of History, Ancient and Modern, accompanied by an Historical Atlas
45:
35:
878:
A dictionary of the English language. (Book, 1859) [WorldCat.org]
876:
313:), to Webster's disapproval. The 20th century lexicographer and scholar
289:
153:
85:, which was published in 1817. In 1823, he was elected a Fellow of the
350:
A Geographical Dictionary, or Universal Gazetteer, Ancient and Modern
137:
131:
83:
A Geographical Dictionary, or Universal Gazetteer, Ancient and Modern
257:
241:, had previously served as a teacher after taking over the post of
209:
in 1859. The Pictorial Edition was basically a reprint of the 1847
921:
695:
Dictionaries: Journal of the Dictionary Society of North America
19:
804:
Lexicography: Reference Works Across Time, Space, and Languages
651:
Lexicography: Reference Works Across Time, Space, and Languages
324:
Worcester sent a copy of one of his dictionaries to the author
938:
252:
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, renting rooms from the widow of
150:
Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory English Dictionary
404:
A Universal and Critical Dictionary of the English Language
184:
A Universal and Critical Dictionary of the English Language
30:(August 24, 1784 – October 27, 1865) was an American
120:, published in the United States in 1827, the year before
862:
Hale, Edward Everett. "Art. II: Worcester's Dictionary",
144:(1758–1843), rival of Worcester in the "dictionary wars"
113:
Worcester's first edited dictionary was an abridgment of
182:
Worcester continued to revise his dictionary, producing
277:
Worcester died on October 27, 1865. He is interred at
731:. New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc., 1952: 153
976:
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
826:. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001: 183.
95:
American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge
293:Grave of Joseph Worcester in Mount Auburn Cemetery
693:Hancher, Michael (2010). "Illustrating Webster".
157:not many." Accusation became attack in 1834, the
73:and graduated in two years. He began a school in
952:
428:An Elementary Dictionary of the English Language
846:. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1977: 152.
786:. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000: 111.
284:
65:, and worked on a farm in his youth, entering
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433:A Primary Dictionary of the English Language
264:. In 1843, after the house was purchased by
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215:Imperial Dictionary of the English Language
903:Works by or about Joseph Emerson Worcester
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454:. University of Missouri Press, 1998: 80.
248:Around this time, Worcester was living in
663:
568:Literary New England: A History and Guide
368:Sketches of the Earth and its Inhabitants
362:Elements of Geography, Ancient and Modern
822:Stockwell, Robert P. and Donka Minkova.
709:The Romance of Old New England Rooftrees
628:Noah Webster and the American Dictionary
608:Noah Webster and the American Dictionary
588:Noah Webster and the American Dictionary
557:
532:
474:. Twenty-First Century Books, 2006: 22.
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189:
136:
18:
765:. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 167–168.
692:
520:. American Academy of Arts and Sciences
515:"Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter W"
340:: "We have at last a good dictionary."
61:Worcester was born August 24, 1784, in
953:
452:The Salem World of Nathaniel Hawthorne
228:
928:, with 88 library catalog records
570:. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1993: 30.
225:and other dictionaries of the 1890s.
87:American Academy of Arts and Sciences
824:English Words: History and Structure
497:. New York: Random House, 2004: 27.
417:A Dictionary of the English Language
203:A Dictionary of the English Language
806:. Taylor & Francis, 2003: 106.
744:. Boston: Beacon Press, 2004: 167.
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13:
991:People from Bedford, New Hampshire
653:. Taylor & Francis, 2003: 67.
338:Dictionary of the English Language
196:Dictionary of the English Language
14:
1022:
934:"Worcester, Joseph Emerson"
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676:. New York: Routledge, 2002: 64.
547:. New York: Routledge, 2002: 63.
213:, with engravings taken from the
194:Title page of an 1860 edition of
108:
986:Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery
941:The New Student's Reference Work
784:Literary Trail of Greater Boston
711:. BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008: 142.
472:Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Biography
356:A Gazetteer of the United States
260:rooms to the poet and professor
134:, and focused on pronunciation.
97:. He earned LL.D. degrees from
34:who was the chief competitor to
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763:Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life
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742:Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life
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386:Outlines of Scripture Geography
89:He wrote a much-used textbook,
69:, in 1805. In 1809, he entered
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674:Lexicography: An Introduction
545:Lexicography: An Introduction
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201:In 1860, Worcester published
175:, which bought rights to the
152:in 1830, inciting charges of
56:
729:The Flowering of New England
630:. McFarland, 2005: 227–228.
285:Critical response and legacy
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7:
1011:19th-century lexicographers
173:G. & C. Merriam Company
10:
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262:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
707:Crawford, Mary Caroline.
330:Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
67:Phillips Academy, Andover
1006:Dartmouth College alumni
610:. McFarland, 2005: 225.
590:. McFarland, 2005: 224.
382:(reissue of above, 1827)
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159:Worcester, Massachusetts
148:Worcester published his
28:Joseph Emerson Worcester
23:Joseph Emerson Worcester
1001:Brown University alumni
996:Phillips Academy alumni
971:American lexicographers
866:. J. Miller, 1860: 365.
319:Webster-Mahn Dictionary
223:Webster's International
981:Yale University alumni
864:The Christian Examiner
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198:
145:
63:Bedford, New Hampshire
24:
16:American lexicographer
626:Micklethwait, David.
606:Micklethwait, David.
586:Micklethwait, David.
352:(1817, enlarged 1823)
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279:Mount Auburn Cemetery
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761:Calhoun, Charles C.
740:Calhoun, Charles C.
75:Salem, Massachusetts
41:Webster's Dictionary
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922:Joseph E. Worcester
802:Hartmann, R. R. K.
649:Hartmann, R. R. K.
450:Moore, Margaret B.
334:Edward Everett Hale
229:Marriage and family
219:American Dictionary
211:American Dictionary
207:American Dictionary
177:American Dictionary
126:American Dictionary
79:Nathaniel Hawthorne
727:Brooks, Van Wyck.
566:Corbett, William.
380:Epitome of History
336:wrote of the 1860
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912:"Dictionary Wars"
812:978-0-415-25367-3
717:978-0-554-29844-3
672:Jackson, Howard.
659:978-0-415-25367-3
636:978-0-7864-2157-2
616:978-0-7864-2157-2
596:978-0-7864-2157-2
543:Jackson, Howard.
495:Hawthorne: A Life
491:Wineapple, Brenda
480:978-0-7613-3459-0
470:Meltzer, Milton.
326:Washington Irving
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439:References
154:plagiarism
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258:subleased
168:Palladium
163:Palladium
132:etymology
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307:dawter
518:(PDF)
344:Works
303:tough
273:Death
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