From Sumerian clay tablets 4500 years ago to today's CDROMs, the evolution of lexicography is colorful. Explore its history thru the quirks & biases of the lexicographers who influenced English. Illustrations Preface Introduction The first lexicographers & the first "dictionaries" The middle ages: putting it in order The move from Latin Vulgar tongues Slang: part 1 The seventeenth century: hard words The seventeenth century: variations & themes The early eighteenth century Samuel Johnson: the pivotal moment America: the years before Webster America: Noah Webster & Joseph Worcester The new philology The New English Dictionary Slang: part 2 The modern world Notes Bibliography Index