Gideon Wurdz 


LibriVox 



The Foof?*h 
Oiftionary 


Wurdz 

The Foolish Dictionary 
By Gideon Wurdz (b. 1875) 

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'The Foolish Dictionary" was written by "Gideon Wurdz" (the pen name for Charles 
Wayland Towne, according to a wiktionary entry), and was published in 1904. According 
to the beginning of the book, it is "An exhausting work of reference to un-certain English 
words, their origin, meaning, legitimate and illegitimate use..." 

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This is a short but amusing dictionary which "redefines" words in some interesting ways. 
Funny and sometimes bizarre observations are sprinkled throughout. In keeping with 
LibriVox policy to read, rather than attempt to rewrite, books - even those with offensive 
content - nothing has been omitted. While many of the definitions may just seem 
confusing or "corny" to modern readers, there are a couple that also might be considered 
"objectionable," particularly in section 10, which contains offensive content of a racial 
nature. (Summary by Maddie) 

nary 

tionary 

Read by Maddie, Alex Buie, Alex Patterson, Donnie, Nikolle Doolin, Christiane Levesque, 
Catharine Eastman, J.C., Kelly Bescherer, Kristin Hughes, & Denny Sayers. Total Running 
Time: 01:45:27. 


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This recording is in the public domain and may be reproduced, distributed, or modified without permission. For 
more information or to volunteer, visit librivox.org. 

Gideon 

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Cover picture by HandigeHarry (2008) (http://commons.wikimedia.Org/wiki/File:Van_Dale_Dictionary.JPG). The 
picture has been placed into the public domain. Cover design by Janette Brown. This design is in the public 
domain. 

Wurdz