You Had Me at “Curiosities”.
This week I’m swooning over Pictorial Webster’s A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities by John M. Carrera, published by Chronicle Books. The title alone is enough to make me want it and after perusing the interior pages it is clear that the title is fitting. This book is awesome. It features over 1,500 original engravings from 19th century Webster’s dictionaries. Images range from “the entirely mysterious to the classically iconic.” It is the perfect balance of art, history, and science with an added bonus of oddity (which might be my favorite part). Right up there with the visual dictionary are Pictorial Webster’s Wall Cards and Stamp Set. I could spend hours looking at all three, and I might do just that.
