Illinois Authors

The Illinois Center for the Book banner

Erin McKean

Born: 1971
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Ms. McKean lived in Chicago.

Biography: Erin McKean likes to call herself a Dictionary Evangelist. She is the founder of ''Wordnik.com''. She was the editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2e, and is the author of ''Weird and Wonderful Words'', ''More Weird and Wonderful Words'', ''Totally Weird and Wonderful Words'', and ''That's Amore'' (also about words). Her first novel, ''The Secret Lives of Dresses'', was published by GrandCentral/5Spot in February 2011. Her newest book is ''The Hundred Dresses'', a nonfiction field guide to dress archetypes was published in the summer of 2013. She recently moved from Chicago to the Bay Area, rants about dresses on her blog (A Dress A Day), and she's actually really bad at Scrabble (but surprisingly good at roller-skating).


Awards:

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction; Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers; Young adult readers

Erin McKean on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=erin+mckean


Selected Titles

More weird and wonderful words /
ISBN: 0195170571 OCLC: 52341441

Oxford University Press, Oxford ; 2003.

"Following the smash hit Weird and Wonderful Words, editor Erin McKean has dug deeper into forgotten corners of the dictionary, gathering both the most spectacular old and the most impressive new words. The result is more than four hundred prime specimens (with pronunciations!), defined in a conversational style, and perfect for adding to your own collection of favorites." "Guaranteed to amuse and astonish, these words will satisfy logophiles everywhere. Accompanied by quirky and witty illustrations from New Yorker cartoonist Danny Shanahan, More Weird and Wonderful Words features an essay on how to identify new weird and wonderful words, a guide to the best word websites, and an annotated bibliography of essential Oxford dictionaries."--Jacket.

That's amore! :
ISBN: 0802715974 OCLC: 83279156

Walker Pub., New York : 2007.

"Just as a rose would smell as sweet by any other name, so it is with love. Love is powerful, enduring, and magical in any language. For That's Amore! word maven Erin McKean has scoured the world looking for the most colorful and seductive expressions to honor your loved one, and among the more than forty-six languages featured in this book, you're sure to find the right thing to say!"--Jacket.

That's amore! :
ISBN: 9780802718754 OCLC: 756929884

Walker Pub., New York : 2007.

Just as a rose would smell as sweet by any other name, so it is with love. Love is powerful, enduring, and magical in any language. For That's Amore! word maven Erin McKean has scoured the world looking for the most colorful and seductive expressions to honor your loved one, and among the more than forty-six languages featured in this book, you're sure to find the right thing to say!--Jacket.

The hundred dresses :
ISBN: 1608199762 OCLC: 812068649

Bloomsbury, New York : ©2013.

Presents a visual A-to-Z reference profiling iconic vintage and modern dresses, combining evocative illustrations with assessments of each depicted style, their famous wearers, and typical accessories.

The hundred dresses :
ISBN: 9781608199792 OCLC: 846845585

Bloomsbury, New York : ©2013.

The secret lives of dresses
ISBN: 9781407477770 OCLC: 751742909

Clipper Large Print, Rearsby : 2011.

The secret lives of dresses /
ISBN: 044655572X OCLC: 548642081

5 Spot, New York : 2011.

"A tale of a girl who finally discovers herself and finds love in her grandmother's vintage clothing store"--Provided by publisher.

Totally weird and wonderful words /
ISBN: 0195312120 OCLC: 70060979

Oxford University Press, Oxford ; 2006.

Do you know what a snollygoster is? Would you eat something called a muktuk? Do you know anyone who engages in onolatry? Impress your friends and pepper your dinner party conversations with such nuggets as gobemouche, mumpsimus, and cachinnate. You can learn about all of these bizarre and beautiful words and many more in Totally Weird and Wonderful Words. Both witty and entertaining, this new paperback brings together two best-selling compendiums to all words unique and strange, Weird and Wonderful Words and More Weird and Wonderful Words. Offering a potpourri of colorful and fascinating words compiled by noted lexicographer Erin McKean, it contains hundreds of definitions, and has been updated to include two new essays, with over 150 words new to this edition. Written in a clear and conversational style, the book contains full-page cartoon illustrations by Roz Chast and Danny Shanahan. Featuring hundreds of words guaranteed to amuse and astonish, this is a book that will appeal to logophiles everywhere. It also features a bibliography of Oxford dictionaries and a guide to creating your own unusual words correctly from Greek and Latin roots.

Verbatim :
ISBN: 015601209X OCLC: 46884149

An overview of the uses and abuses of the English language from the pages of Verbatim magazine features contributions by Richard Lederer, Jesse Sheidlower, and Joe Queenan on everything from the use of language in the Bible to the components of a Britishsoccer chant.

Weird and wonderful words /
ISBN: 0195159055 OCLC: 50581042

Oxford University Press, Oxford ; 2002.

Lists the meaning of hundreds of bizarre and unusual words and includes a guide to coining new words.

 

 

Accessibility