The Definitive Guide to An Exaltation of Larks: The Ultimate Edition

Amazon Customer: Excellent and witty definitions best coffee table and bedside book, easy for conversations or late night smile.

United States on Oct 21, 2023

Dannan Tavona: Reference

Fascinating collection, most which were pulled from earlier reference books, though not exhaustive as in a few cases, there are differences as to the proper term that should be used. Nonetheless, even after the years since it was first published, it's still absorbing just to peruse the pages. Fun, especially for English Lit majors and writers, but the general public will also find the collection of interest. Enjoyed.

United States on Aug 19, 2023

Marian: The book arrived quickly and in excellent condition. It's a beautiful version of the book.

United States on Aug 06, 2023

S. Gannon: Grear book, lots of humor and good information! Arrived when promised in perfect condition.

Canada on May 17, 2021

bettiefraser: An unbelievable compilation of extraordinary words and terms - most of which I had never known. Very interesting
by a very interesting man. Will miss his TV specials about the theatre

Canada on May 27, 2020

Jady Lee: The book arrived January 11, in excellent condition. It has far more information in it that the earlier issues, so I am very pleased that this book and contents were important and informative enough for someone to see the value of updating/adding to it. Thanks for what is going to be a very good source of information.

United Kingdom on Jan 12, 2018

sdone: Probably most useful in crossword puzzles and trivial pursuit, collective nouns are indeed curious. In an article many years ago in the Harvard Weekly magazine the financial editor, whose name I forget, wrote a piece on collective nouns for whose use I have been an advocate ever since. Though most find it strange and perhaps a bit odd to say the least, it makes the heritage of this rich and expressive language a bit more obvious. It is also fun when such correct usages are encountered in fiction or non-fiction just as a matter of course. It is also fun when playing games. I have for years told graduate students of mine that they could have the rest of the day off if they could tell me what a group of wildebeest was called. I have yet to have any leave early, nor likely to care in the least for that matter.
When I retired a group of my students gave me this book.
It appears to be quite correct, but not the only one on the subject.
BTW my Oxford Dictionary of the English language app on my iPhone includes collective nouns as appendix 12. Is that not curious?

United States on Jul 02, 2016

gordonb: A very interesting read and useful as a reference book.
Only reason it did not receive 5 stars is that it was missing pages 55 through 86. I am trying to obtain these pages from the publisher.

Canada on May 29, 2015

Denver gal: What fun for budding writers and experienced authors! James Lipton (Host of Inside the Actor's Studio) wrote this book, using historical phrases for groups of things (e.g. a group of larks is an "exaltation of larks") and making some up, which he acknowledges when this occurs.

It's interesting to leaf through and inspired some titles for books I'll write one day...

I would have rated it five stars if the quality of the book were better. This is a paperback with paper that has a bit of a rough hand. Not a real negative, just not a smooth touch.

I'd buy this especially for a young writer, who might get past writer's block reading through it. For any English linguist it'll build your writing vocabulary.

United States on Jan 17, 2015

Hans Bauer: The new version of this book now has an index, with the ability to enter the names given to groups
This feature was absent from the old version
This latest version has twice the number of pages compared with the old one
The artwork depicting the different group is delightful

Canada on Nov 25, 2013