I have called this book The Insomniac's Dictionary partly because it was born in the dark hours of night during my own periods of sleeplessness. {{U}}(64) {{/U}} For one thing, it doesn't require much in the way of mental or emotional commitment. And secondly, it's not meant to be read through at once. I encourage everyone to skim and skip around a bit.
The Insomniac's Dictionary presents nearly 3,000 strange and intriguing words, all of which are grouped together by categories. {{U}}(65) {{/U}} It's been more than a dozen years since I first discovered the joys of dictionary reading. From the very beginning, I was amazed by the richness of our language. I quickly became enchanted with words like kakistocracy (government by the worst citizens), and I wanted more. {{U}}(66) {{/U}} It didn't take long to realize I was stymied—there were books that included these delightful words but none that grouped them together to be enjoyed as a whole. {{U}}(67) {{/U}}
The results are here for you to enjoy. Some of the thematic lists are as all-inclusive as I could make them. Every chapter has been thoroughly and painstakingly researched. I cannot claim that the resulting lists are absolutely complete but can state that they are more complete than any lists that can be found in any other reference books.
{{U}} (68) {{/U}} Such chapters are intended merely as introductions to their respective subjects. By way of example, our language contains over 20,000 eponyms (words which are based on a person's name). Most of these are obscure scientific terms or measurements and it's obviously beyond the scope of this book to list them all. {{U}}(69) {{/U}}
Most of the word lists are pretty long, and I've therefore chosen to divide them into smaller groups. I admit these sub-categories are totally arbitrary—they are a means of presenting the words in easier-to-digest servings and should not be construed as definitive classification. {{U}}(70) {{/U}} Remember, this book is best enjoyed by browsing, not straightforward reading.
Sentences:
A. Thus my research began.
B. And speaking of digestibility, I would not recommend reading some of the longer chapters at one sitting.
C. It wouldn't be much fun either.
D. On the other hand, some of the chapters make no attempt to be all-inclusive.
E. More to the point, it's the perfect book for insomniacs, book browsers and anyone else with a little time to while away.
F. By way of explaining why I've chosen this format, I'd like to briefly relate my inspiration for writing this book.
G. I wanted to see all the weird and wonderful words there were.
H. Though it may be hard to believe, all entries in The Insomniac's Dictionary are real words.