Reference

Staff Recommendations:

Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages (Paperback)

By Ammon Shea
$13.95
ISBN-13: 9780399535055
Availability: Usually ships from warehouse in 1 - 5 days
Published: Perigee Trade, 5/2009
Other Editions of this Title
On the list of things I’ll never ever do, reading the Oxford English Dictionary from cover to cover ranks somewhere between ascending Mt. Everest and pulling a lion’s tail at the zoo. I concede it’s a charming idea, but Ammon Shea needs much more then charm to slog his way through close to 22,000 pages of words and definitions. What makes Reading the OED worth reading itself is the dedication and fascination that Shea lends to his efforts and prose. This book is surly and boggling, but never boring.  —ZGR

Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors (Hardcover)

By Bill Bryson
$22.00
ISBN-13: 9780767922692
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Broadway, 3/2008
Other Editions of this Title
Score. Bill Bryson, one of the world’s more well-read writers, takes on grammar, spelling, diction, capitalization, and usage. It is my sincere hope that one year from now, the world will be a more grammatically unified place. With his usual style and humor, Bryson dives into just what, exactly, the difference is between a cardinal number and an ordinal number, what the singular form of “graffiti” is, and just where, precisely, you place that pesky hyphen. For anyone who cares about language and its (mis)usage—your own or other’s—read on! —R.M.

Go Figure!: A Totally Cool Book about Numbers (Hardcover)

By Johnny Ball
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780756613747
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: DK CHILDREN, 10/2005
Other Editions of this Title

Max, son of longtime Bookshop staff member David Friedman, shares one of his favorite books.

I think this is a great book. There is some very complex math and it has math tricks. It also has what it would be like if there were no numbers. My favorite page has a puzzle to do with circles and the number Pi is part of the hint. If you are a math lover you will absolutely love this book. —Max, age 8

Other Services:
 
Copyright © Bookshop Santa Cruz
(831)423-0900 · 1520 Pacific Ave · Downtown Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA · 95060