THE STORY OF A BOOK

CHAPTER ONE

THE MEN WHO MADE IT

ONE hundred years ago Noah Webster — journalist, scholar, patriot — was brooding a great undertaking. He had worked with Jay and Hamilton for the adoption of the Constitution and the support of Washington's administration; freedom and order were established; now for a science and literature worthy of the young republic! At the foundation of all is language. Webster had already made a Spell-er which speedily became and long remained a text-book for the entire people, training to uniformity of spelling and pronunciation, and yielding the author a maintenance which enabled him to carry on the vast and uncompensated work of "An American Dictionary of the English Language." In the exposition of that language no real advance had been made since Johnson's dictionary sixty years before. The new age and the new country had produced a flood of new words and usages for which there was no interpreter or arbiter. Webster essayed to cover the whole literature and the living use of the English-speaking race, with special inclusion of the new nationality. He brought to the task a natural genius for language, a special apti-

1

THE STORY OF A BOOK

A splendid
monument
of
scholarship

Early
history
of present
publishers

tude for lucid, exact, and terse definition, a ripe
scholarship, and a tireless industry. With his
work well begun, he stopped to broaden his
knowledge, and mastered the main vocabularies
of twenty languages. He studied for a year
in Europe. Johnson worked intermittently for
eight years on his dictionary; Webster spent
twenty years on his. He gave it to the world
in 1828—a splendid monument of scholarship,
and in its substance fitted to every-day needs.
But it was in two bulky volumes, its price was
$20, it contained a few eccentricities of spell-
ing, and the American public was not yet
emancipated from deference to English author-
ity. The first edition of 2500 copies was
enough for thirteen years. Webster stood to
his guns, bated no jot of his peculiarities even
where most unpopular, revised the work on its
original lines, and brought out a new edition,
at $15, in 1841. That, too, found little sale;
and in 1843 Webster passed away, after a
full and happy life, but with his *magnum opus*
lying stranded like Robinson Crusoe's boat, a
vessel too big for the builder to launch.

¶ One hundred years ago, to a country printer
in western Massachusetts was born his first
son, George Merriam. The second son was
Charles, and then came a flock of brothers
and sisters. The boys were educated in the
district school and the printing office; they

2

THE STORY OF A BOOK

toiled early and late; when their father died
they gave their slender patrimony to their
mother and sisters, and pushed their own way;
and in 1831 G. & C. Merriam began business
as retail booksellers in Springfield, Mass. They
gave to business every hour not given to their
families or their church. They began publish-
ing in a modest way, notably an admirable
series of school readers—the “Child’s Guide,”
“Village Reader,” etc.—compiled by the elder
brother. When at Dr. Webster’s death, his
book came into the market, they discerned
something of its potential value, and bought
the unsold edition and the publishing right.
That purchase marked an alliance of business
and scholarship which has borne fruit for sixty
years. The new publishers’ first care was to
fit the scholar’s wares to the public’s want.
They employed Prof. Chauncey A. Good-
rich, Webster’s son-in-law and literary heir, to
re-edit the book; the eccentric spellings were
dropped and the reasonable changes retained;
such scientists as Silliman and Dana were em-
ployed as contributors; and in 1847 the full
work was brought out in one volume for $6.
The public favor was instantly won and never
was lost. Webster’s executors had appraised
the copyright for the unexpired ten years at
$3000, and the Merriams bought it for that.
They so increased its value that when the

Alliance
of
business
and
scholarship

Public
favor
instantly
won
and
never
lost

3

THE STORY OF A BOOK

copyright was renewed for fourteen years they
made terms with the Webster family by which
during that period they paid to them, for the
large book with its Abridgments and the Spell-
er, a quarter of a million dollars. The Mer-
riams leased the Abridgments and the Speller
to other houses, and concentrated their whole
energy on the large book.

¶ In 1850 it was proposed in the Massachu-
setts legislature, unsuggested by the publishers,
that a copy of Webster's large dictionary be
placed in every district school. Before the
legislative committee the advocate of a rival
book sneered at Webster as an ignorant pre-
tender. Professor Noah Porter, of Yale Col-
lege, replied with so eloquent a vindication of
Webster's scholarship and services that local
prejudice was conquered. The schools were
offered their choice, and 3035 took Webster
and 105 its competitor. Soon after, New
York state placed 10,000 copies of Webster
in its schools, and thus began its acceptance as
the school standard which to-day extends over
the entire country.

¶ When the enlargement of Worcester to an
illustrated quarto was announced in 1859, the
Webster publishers made a prompt counter-
stroke. They put into a supplement a large
number of classified illustrations—a new feature
in an American dictionary—added a supple-

Accepted
as the
school
standard

4

THE STORY OF A BOOK

ment of new words which had long been accu-
mulating; appended a valuable table of syno-
nyms by Prof. Goodrich; and brought out
their enlarged work well in advance of the
new Worcester, which never approached it in
popularity.

¶ Then they set to work on a radical and
thorough revision. Under Dr. Porter's super-
vision, with the aid of a group of eminent
scholars, the advances in linguistic science and
in popular usage were inwrought with Web-
ster's solid groundwork. The period of this
revision was that of the Civil War; business
fell off; the southern market was lost; the
income from the Speller was intermitted, and
payments to the Webster family were by ami-
cable arrangement postponed; war taxes were
heavy; but the three brothers (Homer Meriam
being now included) pushed steadily the revi-
sion, while they supported the war, and looked
for the return of peace and prosperity. So
came to birth the great book of 1864, known
familiarly as "The Unabridged;" its prede-
cessor being completely superseded and with-
drawn from the market, until revamped and
foisted upon the public under false pretenses
half a century later.

¶ A battle of pamphlets turning largely on the
question of spellings; the general prevalence of
the Websterian practice, and an eclipse of all

First
edition
thoroughly
revised—
The
Unabridged

5

THE STORY OF A BOOK

The
International

rivalry in the commercial field; a fresh supplement of new words in 1879; the gradual addition of biographical and geographical tables—these were incidents preliminary to the next great revision. To this revision—a work covering ten years and costing over a third of a million dollars—were given the fuller elaboration, the larger permanent staff, the freer employment of specialists, and the exact attention to every detail, which accord with the advanced methods of modern scholarship and business. In a work carried on thus through generations, there has developed a special art of dictionary-making, with an invaluable tradition of experience, yet progressive and always expanding to meet the new conditions. The result appeared in 1890 in a work whose title marked the supremacy won throughout the English-speaking world, Webster's International Dictionary.

Never-
ceasing
improve-
ment

¶ Its improvement has never ceased for a day. New matter has been added; tables have been scrupulously brought up to date; the accumulation and sifting of new words and meanings has gone steadily on. A Supplement of new words in 1900; tables of biography and geography substantially made over in 1902; a steady accession of improvements with no special announcement—this has been the later history of the book. To the chief editorship so long and ably filled by President Porter has succeeded

6

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Dr. W. T. Harris, United States Commissioner of Education, and a scholar of world-wide repute.

¶ It is to the alliance of scholarship and business sagacity that Webster has owed its success and growth. From that alliance has sprung a harmonious aim and a comprehensive plan of work. Before setting forth that ideal, a word more may be given to the personnel of the combination, past and present. On the publishers' side the force was strengthened in 1877 by the addition of Mr. O. M. Baker, trained as an educator and a school superintendent; an experienced and able bookseller, Mr. H. C. Rowley, came in two years later; the change by incorporation to "The G. & C. Merriam Company" in 1892 was a change of form only, the same hands still manning the ship; to the directors was added Mr. K. N. Washburn, who had been long engaged in the company's service; and while the first two Merriam brothers have passed away, the family is still represented in the directorship and Homer Merriam has just retired from the Presidency at the age of 92.

¶ At the head of the editorial force have been in succession three scholars of high repute; Dr. Goodrich, the heir of Dr. Webster in mental acumen; President Porter, with a rare combination of original intellect, acquired knowledge and practical sagacity; and Dr. Harris, officially

Personnel
of the
Publishers

7

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Personnel
of the
Editors

the first man in the American educational world, and eminent in a wide variety of studies. Next to these have been a group of contributors of the highest standing in general scholarship or special branches, such as Dr. Mahn of Germany, Prof. W. D. Whitney, President D. C. Gilman, Professors Hadley, Lounsbury, Sheldon, Remsen, Verrill, Justice Brewer—the list could be indefinitely prolonged. Of highest practical service have been men perhaps less famous who have through arduous years perfected themselves in the technical art of dictionary-making; as chiefs of staff should be named, among the departed, William A. Wheeler and Loomis J. Campbell, and, among the living, F. Sturges Allen. With these have been scores of faithful and serviceable workers, whose lot has been "to widen knowledge and escape the praise."

¶ So much for the men who have made the book; the ideals they have followed and the methods they have used will be given in the next chapter.

8

THE STORY OF A BOOK

CHAPTER TWO

HOW THE BOOK IS MADE

ALL young people should have a dictionary at their elbow; and while you are about it, get the best—get Webster.” So said a school journal many years ago, and the C. & C. Merriam Company took the phrase as their motto. “Get the Best”—this for the public. “Make the Best”—this for themselves. ¶ Successful business rests on two principles: make a good article, and let the world know it. In their work the Merriams have emphasized quality even more than publicity. Starting sixty years ago with the great fabric Noah Webster had reared, they spent years in refashioning it for popular needs before publishing, and the Webster’s International Dictionary of to-day is the result of a long series of revisions. Spending freely for advertising, they have in the last quarter century spent a much larger sum for improvements, in re-editing and recasting. Some leading member of the firm has always had the editorial work as his specialty, and between publishers and editors there has been thorough harmony and co-operation.

¶ The constant aim has been to make the best possible one-volume dictionary, for the use of

"Get the Best"

The
constant
aim.

9

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Arrangement

Pronunciation

Etymology

the man on the street, the cultivated reader, the teacher and pupil, the scholar and expert, the mechanic, the foreign student, the whole reading public. The basal principle has been to employ the amplest stores of scholarship so as to best serve the average consultor. The qualities kept in view have been Accuracy, Clearness, Fullness, Convenience, Attractiveness. Any single word in the vocabulary will illustrate these principles. First, the word is easily found—a strict alphabetical order being followed, with ingenious resources of arrangement and type to facilitate the search. Next, note that the word's mere presence in the vocabulary shows that it has a certain standing. There has been no attempt to pile up numbers; neither dead words nor gutter-scrapings have been favored; something of merit and of permanence is implied in each word. Then comes the pronunciation—a respelling which is quickly caught by the ordinary eye and ear; and a use of the phonetic marks which every public school child has learned. Substantially these same marks, beginning with Webster's Speller and extending into the nation's school books, have been unifying the pronunciation of the whole people for a century.

¶ Next comes the etymology—the parentage of the word in earlier tongues. Into this has gone a world of toil. When Dr. Johnson was

10

THE STORY OF A BOOK

questioned as to the source of his etymologies, he answered easily, "Why, sir, here is a shelf with Junius and Skinner and others; and there is a Welch gentleman who will help me with the Welch." But Webster, though at the outset well equipped according to the standard of the time, stopped in his work for years to acquire twenty foreign vocabularies. The next generation saw a great advance in linguistic science, and the fruits of this were harvested by a distinguished German scholar, Dr. Mahn, for the 1864 edition. The later gains in etymology have been inwrought in the International and its Supplement by the eminent Prof. Edward S. Sheldon, of Harvard. As a result, each word's treatment opens with its clear and exact lineage, on which the scholar's eye pauses with fascination.

¶ Then come the definitions in their historical order. Accuracy and lucidity of definition, Webster's special distinction, have been the first aim and constant care of his successors in the work. The researcher for a special meaning finds it easily and to his satisfaction; and, beyond his original quest, his attention is apt to be caught by the curious way in which one meaning has grown out of another, by some bit of interesting fact, by a felicitous quotation or striking picture, and so his eye wanders over the page from one attraction to another. The

Definitions

11

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Various
tables

"A wonder-
fully
compact
storehouse
of
accurate
information"

old story of the man who found the dictionary interesting reading but with a frequent change of subject, had a solid basis. There are few more entertaining volumes for a leisure hour than Webster's International.

¶ The book has been naturally broadened by the addition to its vocabulary of various Tables. One goes to the dictionary for all sorts of words; why not then for proper names, which require not definition but information? So here in one Appendix are the world's distinguished people of all times, some 10,000; name and its pronunciation, nationality, characteristic, birth and death dates. Here is the Gazetteer with more than 25,000 geographical titles, each line a miracle of condensed information. And here is a Dictionary of Fictitious Persons and Places in Literature, which one should hardly consult when his moments are precious, so strongly do its pages fascinate and detain. These, and various other Tables—foreign proverbs, abbreviations, etc.—too many to be here set down. Taken as a whole, Webster's International is, in the words of President Eliot, of Harvard, "a wonderfully compact storehouse of accurate information."

¶ This whole mass of information—vocabulary and appendixes—is constantly brought up to the latest date by an unintermitted process of revision. The results appear partly in occa-

12

THE STORY OF A BOOK

sional Supplements, more rarely in general revi-
sions, and constantly in minute corrections made
without announcement. Thus to the vocabu-
lary of the International of 1890 there was
added ten years later a Supplement of 25,000
new words and meanings. On the mere num-
ber no stress is laid; nothing is easier than to
pitchfork words together by the thousand and
ten thousand;—technical, obsolete, disreputable
and useless. The real need, the real task,
comes in the sifting, the choosing from the huge
welter of written and spoken language those
words which have an individuality and in some
way a real use. The International had made
a satisfactory record of the English language
until 1890; the addition of 25,000 words
phrases, etc., was a fair representation of the
actual growth of the language for a decade in
this swift rushing and prolific age. The contrib-
utors to this Supplement, besides the office staff,
were such specialists as President Remsen, of
Johns Hopkins University, Justice Brewer of the
United States Supreme Court, General Greely
of the United States Army, Prof. Chittenden,
director of the Sheffield Scientific School, Mr.
Dudley Buck, and a score of other eminent
experts. At this time the plates of the entire
work were newly cast.

¶ Of other improvements, a good instance is
the very recent and thorough revision of the

Addition
of
25,000
new
words
and
meanings

Other
improvements...

13

THE STORY OF A BOOK

New
Biographical
Dictionary
and
New
Gazetteer

Inserted
words

Biographical Dictionary and the Gazetteer. These have been worked over line by line and word by word, with reference to spelling and pronunciation as well as other information. In geography the publications of official boards have been consulted; in hundreds of cases not thus to be settled recourse has been had to Mr. Henry Gannett, chairman of the U. S. Board on Geographic Names; uncounted letters have been written to local authorities. The biographies have not only been amended to include the fresh death dates, but old dates have been corrected, sometimes fifteen centuries back, and many minor points retouched. This revision, the work of able scholars, was, like the Supplement of New Words, supervised by Dr. W. T. Harris, U. S. Commissioner of Education.

¶ As occasions arise, new words and meanings are frequently inserted in the body of the work by costly plate corrections. When *Ohm* and *Volt* were redefined by International Congress and U. S. statute, the new measurements went into the body of the vocabulary; when the *Roentgen ray* was discovered, it was given due place and description; when *Appendicitis* began to plague humanity under its own name, it was duly entered; and so in hundreds of cases.

¶ In its mechanical features, the International, like its predecessors, is a serviceable, durable

14

THE STORY OF A BOOK

and beautiful book. Made at the Riverside Press, by H. O. Houghton & Co., its binding, paper, typography, all are fully up to the standard set long ago by its manufacturers and publishers.

¶ On the commercial side of their business, the G. & C. Merriam Company have found no occasion to resort to premiums, "combines," "great reductions," and the various devices by which wares are foisted on indifferent or reluctant buyers. They have steadily offered good value for a reasonable price, and have found always an ample market. They have made a Subscription Edition of the International, with a Historical Supplement, corresponding in merit and attractiveness to the main work. The regular edition is sold through the bookstores, and it is a great satisfaction to the publishers that their relations with "the trade"—as the bookselling fraternity is for some occult reason entitled—have always been marked by confidence and cordiality.

¶ For some years past, the market has been flooded with large "Webster's Dictionaries" other than the International, generally at a low price and often with extravagant claims as to authenticity and value. All these books have the same basis, the Webster's of 1847, on which the copyright has expired, and which was completely superseded by the "Unabridged"

Mechanical
excellence

Good
value
for a
reasonable
price

15

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Obsoleted
Webster
reissued

of 1864, and that in turn by the editions of
1879, 1890, and 1900. This now ancient
volume of 1847, reprinted by cheap processes
which have faithfully reproduced all the obso-
lete scholarship, all the discredited etymologies,
all the statements falsified by modern discovery,
every accidental misprint, every blurred line and
broken letter in the original; padded out with
supplementary matter, in one or two instances
of some real value, in most cases crude and of
little worth, and in no case of first-class scholar-
ship; made generally with poor paper, print and
binding; sold sometimes under fairly honest
descriptions, but frequently under false pretenses
of being the authentic, modern, and best Web-
ster,—these books have no standing with schol-
ars, and for the general public they have no
recommendation in comparison with the Inter-
national, except their cheapness.

Comparative
value

"The best" is never the cheapest. More
exactly, using "cheap" as meaning "low-
priced," the best is never the cheapest; while
using cheap to signify good value relative to
price, the best is generally the cheapest. Web-
ster's International is an expensive book, com-
pared with dictionaries of a lower grade; it is
not expensive, compared with other works
resembling it in the mental and material toil
and cost involved in the construction. "The
best" is stamped on every stage of its produc-

16

THE STORY OF A BOOK

tion; on the original genius and life-long labor
of Noah Webster; the succession of eminent
scholars who have perfected it; the care which
keeps it always abreast of modern knowledge;
and the mechanical processes which make a
volume unsurpassed in usability, durability and
beauty.

"The series of authorized Abridgments, headed
by the admirable Webster's Collegiate Diction-
ary, and ended by the "Little Gem," meets
the various wants of different classes. But the
English-speaking public has been educated by
Webster and his successors beyond any other
people to the common use of the large one-
volume dictionary—a work of some 2400 pages,
with 5000 illustrations; a complete interpreter
of the English language; a treasury of general
information. Not for the scholar and the expert
only, but for the merchant, the mechanic, the
housewife, the professional man, the average
man and woman, "the best" is none too good.

"But what impartial and competent authority
shall decide among various claimants to superi-
ority which is the best? In the next chapter
shall be cited on that question the pronounce-
ments of three tribunals, widely diverse in char-
acter, and all of the highest standing.

A complete
interpreter
of the
English
language

17

THE STORY OF A BOOK

CHAPTER THREE
A TRIPLE VERDICT

Aim

GET the Best”—this to the public—“Make the Best”—this to themselves, has been the motto of the publishers of Webster's International Dictionary. Their aim has been to make the best popular dictionary in the English language, in respect to accuracy, clearness, fullness, convenience, and usefulness to all classes of consulters. Comparison is not here made with the many-volumed and encyclopedic works, but with those whose size and form adapt them to quick and easy use; the one-volume books which aim to serve all classes from the erudite scholar to the school-child.

¶ Without a word of disparaging comment on other works which claim to rival Webster, let us seek the verdict of some tribunal so high in character and intelligence, so numerous in membership, and so impartial in constitution, as to give a sanction like that of a court of last resort. Three such tribunals will be cited as to the merits of Webster's International Dictionary, in comparison with all works of similar aim.

¶ To what authority upon doubtful questions do the American people habitually pay the highest deference? Unquestionably, to the

18

THE STORY OF A BOOK

National and State Supreme Courts. They are not only accepted as final arbiters on the vast and vital matters within their immediate sphere, but in great emergencies, like a disputed presidency or a wide-spread labor disturbance, the national impulse turns to these courts as the strongholds of broad intelligence and the highest fairness. Weighty then are their opinions on a subject so peculiarly within their range as text-books of definitions. Language, the medium through which all statutes and precedents are expressed, is the very subject matter with which courts are continually dealing. It is of the first consequence to them to have some standard of appeal as to the meanings and usages of words, which is not only of the first order of intrinsic merit, but is so widely recognized as to command popular approval. Hear then the opinions, first of individuals and then virtually of the entire body of the highest judiciary of the country.

Highest
deference
paid to
the
Courts

¶ In the United States Supreme Court, Chief Justice Fuller says of the International: "I regard it as of the utmost value in accuracy of definition, and have found it in all respects complete and thorough." Justice Gray: "I always considered Webster's Dictionary as the best in the language in the matter of definitions." Justice Brewer: "From my childhood up, Webster's Dictionary has been my authority."

Verdict
of the
United
States
Supreme
Court

19

THE STORY OF A BOOK

The last, the International Dictionary, is the
perfection of dictionaries." Justice Brown, after
a life-long experience, has found it "invaluable
as a book of easy reference," and believes "it
will succeed for many years in maintaining its
position as the leading dictionary of the lan-
guage." Justice Shiras is no less emphatic.
Justice Harlan says: "It should be in the library
of every American judge, lawyer, preacher,
journalist, statesman, and student;" and while
it is desirable to have more than one dictionary
always at hand, "if only one can be afforded,
preference should be given to Webster's Inter-
national Dictionary." Justice McKenna has
"always used the Webster" and finds its old
reputation as to completeness and accuracy sus-
tained by the International. Justice White in
"daily use" finds the book "of the greatest
utility;" and Justice Peckham, praising espe-
cially the Supplement of 1900, regards the
whole work as constituting "a perfect exposi-
tion of the English language as existing at this
time."

¶ Turning now to the highest courts of all the
States, we find an almost unanimous consensus
to the same effect. Thus Chief Justice Knowl-
ton, of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, says:
"For all who want but one dictionary of the
English language for general use in any depart-
ment of study, or in literary or professional work,

Verdict
of the
State
Courts

20

THE STORY OF A BOOK

I regard Webster's International as decidedly
the best." And so on through the State Courts,
the entire body of judges generally speaking as
one. In many instances the statement is explicit
that the International is preferred before all
others. The most guarded expression is that
of the Justices of the New York Court of
Appeals, and they speak of the International as
"in no respect falling behind its numerous rivals,
however remarkable for their extent and accu-
racy." The opinions of the entire bench of
other State Supreme Courts may be briefly
sampled. Pennsylvania: "No other single vol-
ume is so valuable or so satisfactory." New
Hampshire: "The best one-book dictionary of
the English language." Arkansas, California,
Oregon, and Wisconsin say the same. Ken-
tucky calls it "the most comprehensive and
accurate dictionary in existence." Nevada says:
"In our library we have many other diction-
aries, but all of them put together are not con-
sulted as much as Webster." New Jersey:
"For every-day use, no English lexicon is at
all comparable with Webster's International."
Equally emphatic are Delaware, Idaho, Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Rhode Island,
Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washing-
ton. All these are explicit in affirming the
International as the best for general use; and
this is since the publication of all its would-be

21

THE STORY OF A BOOK

Verdict
of the
Schools

rivals. The Florida Justices define its peculiar service to the bench: "Frequently the proper interpretation of an instrument or a statute, before us for review, hinges upon the accurate definition of a word: in all such cases we turn with confidence to Webster's International." Others dwell upon the fund of general information; thus the North Dakota Justices: "No other single book extant contains such stores of rich, varied and exact knowledge." The Ohio Supreme Court: "The new (1900) edition of Webster's International seems to have reached the acme of perfection in book-making, editorially and mechanically." In brief, the entire body of Judges in the National and State Supreme Courts, with the exception of hardly a dozen individuals (and these recommended no other), have borne testimony to the pre-eminent merit of the International.

¶ To the question, "What popular dictionary is accepted as of the highest authority and value by the people of the United States"—could there be any more weighty answer than this almost unanimous testimony of the Supreme Court Judges of the Nation and all the States?

¶ Another tribunal may be cited, which in a different field carries not less authority, and which speaks with one voice. The public school systems of the forty-five States are practically a unit in favor of the International. Every

22

THE STORY OF A BOOK

one of their State Superintendents recommends it in the highest terms. In every State Normal School it is the accepted standard. Wherever State funds have been appropriated for the purchase of a large dictionary for the schools, Webster's has been the book. The school books of the country, wherever they are of such character as to require a standard in spelling, pronunciation, and definition, follow the International with hardly an exception.

¶ The highest judiciary and the entire public school system—better indexes of American opinion can hardly be named. It remains to question that broader constituency which the name "International" suggests—the English-speaking peoples beyond America. It has been said that the judgment of foreigners carries a weight like that of posterity—owing to its freedom from local or temporary bias. Taking first Great Britain: the popular test shows a sale of the International far beyond that of any other one-volume dictionary, English or American. The official test is given by the fact that the only Governmental departments of Great Britain using any standard of language—the Postal and Telegraphic, both managed entirely by the Government—follow the International. The scholar's test may be best indicated, to take from many tributes the most authoritative and impressive, by the unsolicited words of Dr.

Verdict
of the
English-
speaking
world

23

## THE STORY OF A BOOK

Standing of the International in Foreign Markets

Murray, editor of the unfinished many-volumed Oxford Dictionary, and probably the highest individual authority on lexicography in the English-speaking world: "In this its latest form, and with its large Supplement and numerous Appendices, Webster's International Dictionary is a wonderful volume, which well maintains its grounds against all rivals, on its own lines." And again: "The last edition of Webster, the International, is perhaps the best of one-volume dictionaries."

¶ In Canada, the International far outsells all rivals. In Australia it has the field to itself, and with special reason; for this great commonwealth has been explored with the utmost thoroughness as to its wealth of new words and usages, by representatives of Webster on the ground, co-operating with the best local scholarship, and reaping a harvest which the home office has winnowed and inwrought with the main work. In the new American Colonies, in South Africa, in India, in China, in Japan, throughout Continental Europe, and wherever flies the Stars and Stripes or the Union Jack, the International goes as a chief symbol and agent of that language which leads the world's civilization.

¶ "The story of a book"—it has been shown as a story of supreme concentration; Noah Webster devoting a lifetime of genius, learning,

24

## THE STORY OF A BOOK

and character to one book; the G. & C. Merriam Company giving their whole energy for sixty years to perfecting and spreading the work. It has been a story of the close alliance of Scholarship and Business; the scholar's thirst for perfection wedded to the business man's sense of practical needs. It is a story of growth, the patriot scholar's lonely dream of an "American Dictionary of the English Language," maturing to an "International Dictionary," the accepted authority of a world-encompassing race.

¶ The blue-backed Webster's Speller, of which the public have consumed some seventy-five million copies, concluded with a few pungent fables, "The Milkmaid," "The Old Man's Apple Tree and the Rude Boy," etc., and to each fable was appended a moral. To the present Story the Moral may be given in words a little amplified from an old quotation: All young persons, and all older ones no less, should have a dictionary at their elbow; and while you are about it get the best—get Webster's International.

Moral—
Get
the
Best

25