false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255837364m/2376121.jpg 2376121 2 This beloved classic about place-naming in the United States was written during World War II in a conscious effort to pay tribute to the heritage of the nation&#8217;s peoples. George R. Stewart&#8217;s love of the surprising story, and his focus not just on language but on how people interact with their environment, make <i>Names on the Land </i>a unique window into the history and sociology of America. <br><br>From the first European names in what would later be the United States&#8211;Ponce de León&#8217;s flowery Florída, Cortez&#8217;s semi-mythical isle of California, and the red river Rio Colorado&#8211;to New England, New Amsterdam, and New Sweden; the French and the Russians; border ruffians and Boston Brahmins: <i>Names on the Land </i>is no dry dictionary but a fascinating panorama of language in action, bursting at the seams with revealing details. In lively, passionate writing, Stewart explains where Indian names were likely to be kept, and why; the fad that gave rise to dozens of Troys and to Athens, Georgia, as well as suburban Parksides, Brookmonts, and Woodcrest Manors; why &#8220;Brooklyn&#8221; is Dutch but looks English and why &#8220;Arkansas&#8221; is Arkansaw, except of course when it isn&#8217;t. <br><br>His book has delighted generations of road-trippers, armchair travelers, and anyone who ever wondered how their hometown, or (more likely) the next town over, could be called <i>that. </i>Stewart&#8217;s answer is always a story&#8211;one of the countless stories that lie behind the rich and strange diversity of America. 174657 1945 Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States total:66|5:19|4:27|3:17|2:2|1:1| 66 259 264 25 3 0 false false Wed Oct 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 08:53:10 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 07 22:25:41 -0700 2009
This book is not for them. I kept having ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 23 19:09:28 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 19:11:56 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 15 01:12:22 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 02:03:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Dec 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 08 19:42:20 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 27 02:23:35 -0800 2009 Once more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 18 17:44:38 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 17:44:38 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 12:50:44 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 11:25:22 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Nov 17 16:50:07 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 17 16:51:14 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jul 17 20:03:14 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 12:35:32 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 20:03:14 -0700 2009 "Men came at last, tribe following tribe, spea...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 18:23:43 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 18:24:15 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 12 11:57:32 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 17 09:13:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Sep 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 19 19:23:23 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 15:23:37 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 03 01:34:08 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 03 01:39:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 27 20:09:11 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 30 12:07:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Aug 14 13:58:12 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 31 12:51:51 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 14 13:58:12 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 12 11:52:24 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 16:42:56 -0700 2008
B) It's a real history, not just a hodgepodge of curious anecdotes, and provides a unique window into American cultural evolution.

C) Stewart has a delightful sense of humor and a sharp eye for ...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 15 13:46:27 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 08 06:32:23 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jan 21 20:15:58 -0800 2009 Thu Aug 28 10:14:11 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 21 20:15:58 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 01 20:38:22 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 14 17:21:51 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 05 07:15:38 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 19 11:58:41 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sun Sep 28 11:51:39 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 23 10:51:45 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2376121