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Oh No! Not More Words! Words!! Words!!!

hile these book-related entries are based on Robert Putative: the fictional author of a book is the putative author because
Hendrickson’s The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and the readers think that he or she wrote it. Putative being from the Latin
WPhrase Origins, Checkmark Books; 2008, 4th edition; I have for “to think.”
rewritten and enlarged some of the definitions.
Uncial: a uncial is an ancient manuscript written in the uncial script
Short Story: although short stories have probably always been around, because the letters are an inch high. Uncial being Latin for “inch.”
they only got this name in when Harper’s magazine used the term in 1887.
A short story is considered to be less than 10,000 words and a short-short In Gulliver’s Travels:
story of less than 1,200 words. Houyhnhnms are the race of intelligent horses who are governed by logic.
As a joke, an English teacher taught our class that a good short story had Yahoos are the beast-like humans,. Lilliputians are the tiny people, and
brevity, a religious reference, a sexual reference, some association with Brobdinagians were giants.
society, and an illustration of modesty and asked the class each to write one. And, coincidentally. I just got in a Limited Editions Club Swift
The next day, one of the students turned in possibly the shortest, short tome, A Voyage to Brobdingnag with A Voyage to Lilliput published by
story ever. “My God!” said the Duchess, “Take your hand off my knee!” the Limited Editions Club in 1950 in (of all things) a limited edition
two-volume set in a most
More book minutiae: Edgar unusual format designed by
Allan Poe is thought to have Bruce Rogers. In keeping with
originated the modern short story. the story the Brobdingnag
And O. Henry’s short stories were volume, the big one, measures
known for having a surprise, 13” x 18 1/2" and Lilliput measures
twist ending. a diminutive 1/2” x 3 3/4”.

Holden Caulfield: the name for And one last word from my recent
J.D. Salinger’s fictional character bookshop experience that is not in
in his 1951 book Catcher in the Hendrickson’s book:
Rye is said to have happened
because Salinger happened to pass Hole-istic: Although my shop,
a movie theater that was playing the Unicorn Bookshop, is
the movie Dear Ruth starring temporarily closed for the corona
William Holden and Joan threat, I have to go out every so
Caulfield whose last names were often to get the mail and see that
prominently displayed in large everything is OK. Everything has
letters on the marquee. Good been OK except for Wednesday
thing he wasn’t passing a showing afternoon (May 15) when I was
of Abbott and Costello Meet outside in the parking lot chatting
Frankenstein. I don’t think the with a friend (maintaining the
name Abbott N. Costello would proper distance), he in his pick up
have had the same effect. and me just standing there. As he
backed up to leave, I turned
Standing Fishers Bible: down Quote from the character Holden Caufield from The Catcher in the Rye around to walk back to the shop
through the years, Bibles have when suddenly I heard a loud
accidentally been printed with typos. In 1806, Ezekiel 48:10 came through roaring as my friend lost control of the truck somehow getting his foot t
as “And it shall come to pass that the fishes shall stand upon it…” Fishes angled up with the accelerator pedal and drove it into the bookshop just
was supposed to be fishers. missing me by inches! My shop was originally built as a cinderblock
And I can add: building which was brick veneered by a later owner before I bought it.
The “Breeches Bible” printed in 1579 where, in Genesis III-7, Adam Broken bricks were everywhere and even the cinderblock wall was pushed
and Eve saw they were naked and “sewed figge tree leaves together, and in. As you can imagine, or maybe not, my office was directly on the other
made themselves breeches.” side and now my desk is even more of a mess than usual (and I had not
The Wicked Bible, printed in 1631 by Robert Barker and Martin thought that was possible). Fortunately, no one was hurt. The shop is a
Lucas, where Exodus 20:14 the seventh commandment was printed “Thou mess but luckily nothing that can’t be repaired! Fortunately, the antique
shalt commit adultery.” clock over my desk was not damaged.
This is quite a collector’s item as you might imagine. One wonders if Coulda’ been worse, as they say. And you might say that now I have a
this typo was actually a mistake or deliberate. Remember that the young true hole-istic bookshop!
men who set the metal type by hand were called printers devils.

James Dawson has owned and operated the Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe, MD since
Labor: Adam Smith’s famous treatise on economics The Wealth of 1975, when he decided it would be more fun to buy and sell old books and maps than to
Nations, printed in 1776, had the first modern use of the word labor as get a “real” job. For this born collector, having a shop just might be another excuse to buy
work one to supply wants. Previously, the Latin for the word meant toil more books. He has about 30,000 second hand and rare books on the shelves, and just
about all subjects are represented. Reach him at P.O. Box 154; Trappe, MD 21673;
distress and trouble. 410-476-3838; unicornbookshopMD@gmail.com; www.unicornbookshop.com

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