word freak
October 23rd, 2006 | Uncategorized
Dateline London.
I did a brief booksigning this afternoon at Gay’s the Word. Then made a pilgrimage to Dr. Johnson’s house, the guy who wrote the first major English dictionary. Here’s the famous garret where he did most of the work, with a crew of amanuenses. (look it up.)
They had a closet of Georgian costumes for kids to put on, and there was no one around, so…
Here’s a passage from the dictionary.
And here’s a monument outside to Dr. J’s cat, Hodge, “a very fine cat indeed.” He’s sitting on a dictionary, with oyster shells at his feet. Apparently Dr. J. would personally go out to the fish market and fetch oysters for him, rather than having his servants do it, so that the servants wouldn’t feel resentment toward the cat.
24 Responses to “word freak”
Ah, a very fine dyke indeed in Georgian costume. Why, you’re practically a Wickham, you are. (Although far less calculating. At least I presume.)
I LOVE this excerpt from the Gay’s the Word website about your book: “swift, graphic – and redemptive.” PERfect, IMO.
Safe travels. Bonjour a Paris, aussi!
I can’t believe you were signing stuff at Gay’s the Word whilst I was stuck at work. Bother!
You may find John Soane’s museum very interesting too.
You knocking about London any more? I may have to pull a sicky if you are – I’ve been into DTWOF since I was about 15.
I have a feeling you’d enjoy Sir John Soane’s museum, also.
Are you doing any more signings etc in London? I can’t believe I missed you at Gay’s the Word. Totally worth pulling a sicky for!
If my last comment shows up at some point, sorry for the double comment. I forgot to put my name, and my computer is playing silly buggers.
If I were famous for something important, I would SO want a stautue of my cat instead of me. That is fabulous. Love the part about the oysters! How nice is that!?
Back then oysters were considered peasant food though, so it’s not as devilishly luxurious as it might sound.
The John Soames Museum is awesome (though tricky to find). The London public telephone box is modelled after his design for his own tomb.
Wouldn’t it be cool to do a flashback 18th century Dykes to Watch Out For? I remember the historical Wild West/Modernist Paris/WW2/’70s dream sequence you did for a calendar series once.
Ng Yi-Sheng,
Would it be totally ignorant of me to ask whether John Soames intended to be buried in a vertical position? Or would his tomb lie down horizontally but have that glass door open upwards? I am trying very hard to visualize it.
Alison, you look so dashing in that costume; again I must ask a confused question: do you travel everywhere with a tripod for your camera? Does it telescope like those pointers people use at presentations? Perhaps I missed the post where all this was explained.
–Silvio
This Parisian is looking forward to finally seeing the original Dyke To Watch Out For in the flesh this week, (and I do promise to behave, tough as that will be) but I’d like to be sure I have the right times and places to show up at. A bit of googling yielded two signings (Violette et Co. on Thursday at 7, Les Mots à la Bouche on Friday also at 7). Is that correct, and have I missed any other important appearances (or missed an update on the Fun Home Tour Page)? Thanks for any info.
hey, A. in Paris. Unfortunately, no one has given me the specific dates or places where I’m appearing in the city of light. But your google results are probably correct.
Great hearing you speak tonight – who’d think it would be in London? I think I missed you at Bailey Coy this summer. At any rate, in a rather recursive manner, feel free to read my blogging about your blog and your talk, and I’ll keep checking back here to see what you have to say about how the evening went on your side.
Is it fuch a horrible fault to tranflate….but in the fubltler vocabulary of fatan….
Ok who got a huge kick outta this?
Dictionary reading is fuch fun!
Alison,
are you in London long enough to see things? The British Library has a very cool, very free little museum (well, I think that exhibit would probably be a better word). Its got all kinds of neat, nerdy examples of the history of the written word.
Enjoy Europe for those of us who are stuck Stateside!!!
Do you ever check out “A Way With Words?” It’s an NPR podcast about language. Good fun.
He sounds like a gent after your own heart.
i sought out that bookstore this spring when i was in London. it’s a nice little place.
I love the idea of an 18th century DTWOF. Something where the gang visits that Constitution thing Bush and Congress just got rid of?
To Alison, in response to previous post (quote : “no one has given me the specific dates or places where I’m appearing in the city of light”).
Thanks for taking the time to answer, especially mid-tour. The lack of info on European appearances did seem uncharacteristic, but that particular scenario hadn’t even occurred to me. It’s downright inhumane, when the book tours sound hectic enough without the added uncertainty. I hope the enthusiasm you meet here will make up for it.
And while I’m here, this fellow word freak loved the notion (and the pictures) of your visit to Dr Johnson’s garret.
I used to work in Gough Square (where Dr Johnson’s House is) for four years and I love that statue of the cat. I now moved away from London, finding it too loud and hectic, but I go and see the cat almost every time I go down there to visit. Hope you had fun and thanks for the tip about the York Lesbian Arts Festival. This is now closer to where I live and I might just have a look.
I always thought it was silly to have the definition of dictionary in a dictionary. As a kid, I thought it should say “this, stupid!”
I think that thing about the cat is a good idea. You don’t want the maid to get pissed at the cat. She could lock him away with the linens!!
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