New Definition-Free Dictionary Celebrates Webster's 251st Birthday

What would Noah Webster think? Two centuries later his name still sells a "Dictionary" and carries his portrait on the frontispiece-- YET doesn't provide a single definition! Pictorial Webster's: A Pictorial Dictionary of Curiosities,( Chronicle Books - retail $35) printed from nearly 4,000 images found in the original Webster's Dictionaries of the nineteenth century. Compiled from 100-year-old block print images discovered in the basement of the Yale library, artist John Carrera created a curious visual collection, a "timeless" best-seller picture book for the ages that Carrera hopes will be used as a springboard to creativity.

Pictorial Webster's serves as reminder of the impact Noah Webster had on our cultural landscape. Born 251 years ago on October 16, Webster's name has sold tens of millions of dictionaries. A patriot whom George Washington himself respected, Noah Webster hoped his dictionary would help unify and strengthen our then infant American Culture. In 1806 he published the first American dictionary titled "A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language." The dictionary became so widely mimicked that Webster's name literally and legally became a synonym for "dictionary" because copyrights were not then what they are now. It was Noah Webster who championed the strong copyright laws that we now have, and his cousin Daniel Webster, a United States Senator, introduced and helped the bill through Congress. After Noah's death, his heirs sold the rights to George & Charles Merriam and their company, now called Merriam-Webster is still producing dictionaries today.

Pictorial Webster's selected by Indie Booksellers for September 2009 Indie Notables

"The greatest oddity resurrected in reference books in a generation, this fascinating image-based dictionary adds new meaning to the phrase, 'Let's look it up.' Pictorial Webster's is a phenomenal follow-up for fans of everything from The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet to The Professor and the Madman." -- Alex Green, Back Pages Books, Waltham, MA

Perfect for conversation, reflection, celebrating Webster's birthday holiday gifts, Pictorial Webster's editions include: limited run of 26 hand printed and bound collector's copies $4,600 (win one in a contest held by Chronicle Books); an artist's edition of 100 books, $2,600; and the best-seller trade-edition, Chronicle Books, $35 (ChronicleBooks.com). The artist's site http://www.quercuspress.com/ contains production process, video footage, media images and more Pictorial Webster's information.