Word Wizard

A collection of essays praising the wonder—and the hilarity—found in the English language. After a multi-decade career of stimulating readers to appreciate and laugh at the glories and oddities of our English language, beloved language maven Richard Lederer has collected his very best and most popular pieces in Word Wizard. In this career-capping anthology the reader will find essays that enlighten, inspire, and tickle the funny bone. From his hilarious bloopers to his hymns of praise to the English language, these essays are the brightest gems of a storied career. Word Wizard includes an introduction, prefaces for each essay, sprightly verse, and material never before published in Leader's language books. With classic chapters such as "The World According to Student Bloopers," "English Is a Crazy Language," and "The Case for Short Words," and shiny original essays such as "The Way We Word" and "Add Wealth to Your Vocabulary," Word Wizard is sure to delight language lovers and Lederer fans everywhere. "Columnist and punster Richard Lederer may be William Safire's only living peer at writing about grammar, word usage, and deriviations." ―Washington Post Book World "Richard Lederer is the true King of Language Comedy. His Anguished English books are the funniest books I have ever read." ―Sidney Sheldon