Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Preface ix
4. PART ONE: NOAH WEBSTER’S BATTLES
5. 1. British Mockery and American Disdain 3
6. 2. Noah Webster 21
7. 3. Webster’s First Dictionary 41
8. 4. Displacing Delilah 53
9. 5. The Lexicographer’s Fifth Column 83
10. 6. Tea and Copyright 102
11. 7. Spelling Wars 112
12. 8. The “Common Thief ” 121
13. 9. Webster’s Decline 145
14. PART TWO: THE MERRIAMS AT WAR
15. 10. Taking Webster out of Webster 161
16. 11. Waiting for Worcester 178
17. 12. The Bohn Affair 197
18. 13. Converse’s Complaint 214
19. 14. Children, Money, and “Trash” 223
20. 15. High Stakes 234
21. 16. The “Terrible Rival” 250
22. 17. The Merriams Triumphant 274
23. Conclusion 288
24. Appendix A: The “Webster” Brand 291
25. Appendix B: Four Centuries of Selected Dictionaries of the English Language 294
26. Appendix C: Publishing Terms 302
27. Appendix D: “The Spelling Bee at Angels (Reported by Truthful James),” by Bret Harte 304
28. Acknowledgments 307
29. Abbreviations 309
30. Notes 311
31. Bibliography 333
32. Index 349