About book The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury Of Terms & Literary Quotations (1995)
Have you ever found yourself grasping in vain for that ideal descriptive word lost somewhere within the misty recesses of your vocabulary? Or felt frustrated that an oddly shaped structure or pretty setting you wished to portray in writing didn't quite translate clearly to paper?If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then The Describer's Dictionary is exactly the book you need. Open it, and you have not only just the right words but—bringing them to life—stellar literary examples of descriptive writing as well.The Dictionary concern itself with the observable, from shapes to buildings to human beings. "Referably" organized, the book uses a handy reverse, definition-to-term format that makes it easy to zero in on the term you're seeking. For example, look up "Noses" to find "aquiline," "leptorrhine," and "snub-nosed." And as an inspiration to any writer—showing how it's done by the best—hundreds of colorful and evocative descriptive passages from such diverse authors as Dickens, Darwin, and Updike appear on facing pages, making this a singularly and richly different kind of reference book.The craft of description lives in literature, conversation, journalism, and personal letters. For help in painting pictures with the English language, The Desciber's Dictionary is one of the most indispensable reference tools you can own.
This is as it says A Describer's Dictionary. I found it incredibly helpful because the examples it uses force you to look at ordinary objects in different ways. Moreover, it has been a great guide for future reading as I am able to view snippets of description from numerous authors and then research each of their works in turn. The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations is clear and concise with an index that is well organized. This book is always on the right side of my desk for inspiration or reference.
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I like the idea of this book a little better than the execution. Half lists of words (mostly adjectives) that authors can use to make really good descriptions, half examples of descriptions by both well-known and little-known authors. I really liked the words. There is some dead wood at the beginning (any adjective has the suffix -iform added), but it got really good and the ending had some really good stuff that I anticipate using in the future. The quotations, although really good at points, depending on the quote, wasn't quite as good throughout a lot. Either there was a lot of deadwood, or maybe it was just damaged by being ripped from its native habitat (which is no fault of the author's). Maybe this explains Dickens.
—Brian
