Creating an Icon: The Making of the New Collegiate Dictionary

With its deep red cover, bull’s-eye logo and signature thumb notches, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is an American icon. It’s the bestselling hardcover book after the Bible and the stylebook reference for American publishing and journalism. It’s also brand new: the Twelfth Edition combines these iconic elements with revisions based on two decades of online data about how words are used and which words are looked up most–and least. A book-lover’s book in the age of AI-slop, it presents facts about language and usage and tells the truth about words. Join us to hear the history of this dictionary and how the new landmark edition was created, presented by one of its editors. Presented by Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large, Merriam-Webster Image courtesy of Merriam-Webster Join us in-person or online! If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center. Members: FREE Springfield residents: $4 Nonmembers: $4 To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance. Online Registration