The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster's Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture

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The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster's Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture

by Joshua Kendall (Goodreads Author)

3.34 of 5 stars 3.34 · rating details · 158 ratings · 40 reviews

America's own The Professor and the Madman: the story of Noah Webster, author of the first dictionary of American English-and a forgotten leader during a turning point in our nation's history.

Noah Webster's name is now synonymous with the dictionary he created, but although there is much more to his story than that singular achievement, his rightful place in American hi...more

Hardcover, 355 pages

Published April 14th 2011 by Putnam Adult (first published 2011)

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Aug 07, 2012 John Harder rated it 3 of 5 stars

Noah Webster was a genius, and if you need confirmation of this, you should just ask him. Ego is rarely an appealing quality, but at least Noah had the attribute of being a prickly hypochondriac to fall back upon.

Mr. Webster had the good fortune of being able to direct his worst personal qualities and neurosis into productive activity. Words were like a balm to his nervous disposition – when he felt anxious he would fill a tub full of adjectives, take a long soak and towel off with a spelling b...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Jenny Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's refreshing to read a biography of someone who isn't well known to the general reader. This book brings alive the world of New England from the period of the revolution through the 1840s, giving us a sense of how a life could unfold throughout that period. Webster was involved with most of the people who shaped America's government and culture throughout his lifetime, and of course, he too ended up in their number.

What keeps me from giving this book 5 stars is that Kendall did not support th...more It's refreshing to read a biography of someone who isn't well known to the general reader. This book brings alive the world of New England from the period of the revolution through the 1840s, giving us a sense of how a life could unfold throughout that period. Webster was involved with most of the people who shaped America's government and culture throughout his lifetime, and of course, he too ended up in their number.

What keeps me from giving this book 5 stars is that Kendall did not support the many statements he made about Webster's mental state, particularly the idea that he wrote his books under the influence of a mental condition Kendall labels as an illness. He also harps on a Freudian theme--that Webster's relationship with his father was the origin of many of his behaviors--that is not supported by the facts he presents in this book.

Indeed, though the author keeps telling us that Webster is a terrible parent, the affection of his children and the extent to which they stayed engaged with him after attaining adulthood argues against this. This was, after all, a period in which large numbers of New Englanders headed out West--a great way of leaving behind disagreeable relatives. That so many Webster children stuck around as adults suggests Webster was a far better parent than the author would have you believe.

Webster's childraising style was completely within the traditions of the New England Calvinism of his time. I get the feeling that Kendall isn't as familiar with biographies of other people raised in that culture as he might be. Webster's family life was refreshingly free of the religiously-spurred terror and self-hatred that diaries of New England Calvinist contemporaries display. When his possibly autistic child displayed an overwhelming fear of hell, it was treated as a mental illness issue and a cause for concern, not an appropriate religious response. This would not have been true in some stricter Calvinist homes at the time.

Webster struck me, in fact, as being less harsh than many other parents of his generation, and one wonders to what extent the language of his letters, which the author cites to prove his coldness and authoritarianism as a parent, may have been written to live up to the standards of the day rather than being a reflection of what really went on in the Webster home.

It's also currently fashionable to give diagnoses for what any other generation would consider normal behavior. But the only evidence that the author gives us that Webster was mentally abnormal was that he liked to collect statistical information and spent much time working alone in a soundproofed room. If I lived with 7 children, one of whom was autistic, my study, too, would be soundproofed. That seems to me to be Yankee practicality, not mental illness.

The collecting of trivia only becomes a mental illness when it makes it impossible for the person to live a productive, happy life. Webster's phenomenal productivity and the degree to which he was involved with others throughout his life argues against that. His attempts to collect information of the kind now found in every Almanac seems to be just a bit ahead of his time. By the 1840s that kind of quantifying and classifying was widespread among educated people, especially those who interested themselves in science. He had a very precise mind, yes, and a love of detail that made his name live even until the present day.

It does no one any good to define that as a mental illness. Let's save that definition for conditions that make it impossible for people to live full, active, productive and satisfying lives. That Webster was still working on publishable work until shortly before his death in his mid 80s is a testament to the fact that he had found the perfect work for his nature, a sign of a life very well-lived. If that's a mental illness, let's hope it's contagious.

That said, there's enough presented here for the reader to draw her or his own conclusions, which is the mark of a competent biography. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in New England cultural history. Or for that matter, in the lives of people who only come into the fullness of their creativity in later life. If ever there was a late bloomer, it was Webster, but he bloomed brilliantly, and his life has a lot to teach us. (less)

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Jun 01, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-history, biography, politics, pop-culture

(full review appears at the Washington Independent Review of Books)

I don’t like Noah Webster. He’s arrogant and antisocial. He’s obsessive-compulsive and anal-retentive. He’s a shameless self-promoter, a notorious griper and, later in life, a pious blowhard. And as Joshua Kendall shows us in his fine biography Forgotten Founding Father, those were exactly the kinds of traits that made Noah Webster so good at what he did. Indeed, as a compulsive compiler and hunter and gatherer of information, We...more (full review appears at the Washington Independent Review of Books)

I don’t like Noah Webster. He’s arrogant and antisocial. He’s obsessive-compulsive and anal-retentive. He’s a shameless self-promoter, a notorious griper and, later in life, a pious blowhard. And as Joshua Kendall shows us in his fine biography Forgotten Founding Father, those were exactly the kinds of traits that made Noah Webster so good at what he did. Indeed, as a compulsive compiler and hunter and gatherer of information, Webster was of the ideal temperament to organize the first uniquely American dictionary — and America, argues Kendall, is all the better for it.

Even before his famous dictionary, Webster’s obsession with words rocketed him to national fame, while only his mid-20s, with his hugely successful American Spelling Book. Webster marketed his work masterfully, figuring out how to secure laudatory blurbs from all the right people, offering bulk discounts and promoting shamelessly by booking speaking engagements for himself in which he openly bad-mouthed the competition. Calling for a “uniformity and purity of language — to add superiority to this infant empire and to human nature,” Webster’s speller was, as Kendall artfully describes it, “a linguistic declaration of independence.” American English — though it took some time before Webster would call it that — would become Webster’s lifelong obsession.

To Webster, language mattered. It was as closely aligned with a nation’s sense of identity as the country’s chosen form of government or the foods its citizens ate (indeed, Webster would privately sneer at the overtly European cuisine Andrew Jackson served during Webster’s visit to the White House). It’s almost quaint to read how angry our forebears could get arguing over spelling and grammar. Is “boating” a word? What about that pesky extra “u” in words like “honour” and “labour”? Did profanity have a place in the dictionary? These were serious matters for serious debate, and Webster was never one to turn from a fight, though the term “respectfully disagree” seems as foreign to Webster as the food in Jackson’s White House. Webster can’t just disagree with opponents, he has to disparage them as well, spraying even the much-admired Samuel Johnson in his crossfire as he defends his own contributions to lexicography— a tactic that ruffled even Webster’s supporters.

Still, it’s tough to grumble about him too much, for Webster, for the most part, picked the right fights. He demanded American English for and by Americans. And he appreciated early on that the American language needed to be inherently flexible, allowing for new words to be added as the language required — “without a license from Englishmen,” he stressed. To this day, in fact, it still makes national news when new words like “blogosphere” or “chick flick” are formally incorporated into the dictionary. (Oddly, despite this aggressive stance, Webster himself would create only one new word, “demoralizing,” which, given his temperament, seems like just the kind of word he would coin.)

I still don’t like Noah Webster, but in Kendall’s hands, Webster’s faults, obsessions and abrasive personality become part of his strangely compelling charm. Kendall is deft at pointing out the little details that the perpetually obsessive Webster couldn’t help but incorporate into his endless lists — an attention to details that makes Webster eye-rollingly endearing. When compiling a list of the number and causes of death in London in April 1788, for instance, the very thorough Webster deems it necessary to inform readers that the number of deaths attributed to “Bit by mad dog” is exactly zero.

Later, when Webster, who fancied himself an expert in etymology, begins making sweeping and ultimately incorrect statements on the origins of words, we can’t help but admire his colossal nerve. When talent isn’t enough, Webster always gets by on sheer perseverance alone. Founding Father or not, what can be more quintessentially American than that?
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May 04, 2011 Shinynickel marked it as to-read

Off this review: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-an...

This is a full biography of Webster, not just an examination of his most famous work, and in fact it's not until about two-thirds of the way through the book that we see his dictionary begin to take shape. Logophiles may skim through the earlier stages of Webster's life to get to the good stuff, but they will miss out on the foundation of Kendall's compelling argument; namely that his masterpiece would never have been completed if it weren...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Jb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once before I read a biography of Noah Webster (my 14th great cousin or something like that). This one is much more thorough; it deals with his psychological compulsions, motivations and why his genius was able to help establish American identity in the republic’s early stages by means of language publications. He was only marginally financially successful at this until at age 59 a generous royalty deal for his American Spelling Book enabled him to devote full time to the task of preparing a com...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Jendy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-book-group

I wish someone else had written this book. Kendall is a seriously flawed writer. He seems to have done a lot of research, but not enough in all areas. I think he made some broad conclusions about Webster's character (neurotic, ocd?)and influence (articulating "american culture" for the first time?) in order to start writing his book, but he doesn't support his conclusions. And he jumps around in time way too much!

Since I have so many ancestors who lived in New England at teh same time, I did fin...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Gene rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book. A good biographical sketch of Noah Webster. Although the author alludes to it, he never quite comes out and admits that NW was probably a garden variety OC with a stern, strict, and somewhat puritanical New Englander's view of everything. I don't fault NW for this in any way, he was who he was. In fact, if he were not of such a nature his dictionaries might never have become what they are today.

I take some exception to the title of the book as somewhat misleading bu...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would say that this book is 90% information I had never heard about Noah Webster, so it was very interesting and presented in a very readable, engaging way. I had no idea he was contemporaries with Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, etc., or that he was so involved in politics and shaping the wonderful nation we have today. What an amazing man. I also appreciated the author's willingness to discuss Webster's faults, as it made him feel so much more real. But man, what a difficult man he would ha...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well-written interesting book, it's not the author's fault the protagonist isn't more interesting. I picked up this book because I was interested in Webster's role in defining American identity. I did get some insight into that but this book is really more about a very slightly unbalanced individual and how that unbalance led to titanic but occasionally pointless works of literature (dictionaries based on his own imagined historical connections between languages). It's a good example of how bein...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Margaret Sankey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Publishers have insisted on entirely too many "Forgotten Founding Father" titles--George Whitfield,John Winthrop, John Varick are all candidates. Kendall's biography of Noah Webster is actually more about the cultural side of the new republic, from the pressure cooker of New England intellectualism (the sheer number of Webster's Yale classmates who had nervous breakdowns, were anorexic, attempted suicide or achieved it is staggering), sectional differences, local public lectures, powerful minist...more

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May 21, 2011 Verena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have enjoyed reading biographies of founding fathers and mothers (John Adams by David McCullough; Benjamin Franklin, an American Life by Walter Isaacson; Founding Mothers, the Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts.) So I assumed I would find equal enjoyment in reading The Forgotten Founding Father, Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture. I did enjoy learning about this fascinating man who made amazing contributions to the growth of America as an independent nat...more I have enjoyed reading biographies of founding fathers and mothers (John Adams by David McCullough; Benjamin Franklin, an American Life by Walter Isaacson; Founding Mothers, the Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts.) So I assumed I would find equal enjoyment in reading The Forgotten Founding Father, Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture. I did enjoy learning about this fascinating man who made amazing contributions to the growth of America as an independent nation. He did this in spite of, or maybe because of, personal and financial problems that caused him much anxiety and made him a difficult person to know. He was a man of contradictions, conservative in politics but also a champion of accepting the constant change of language; a gifted salesman and self-promoter of his books who invented the author’s book tour, but a loner and insufferable prig. He was a Yale graduate in the upper echelons of education, but he befriended the underclass and developed a forerunner of a social security system in Hartford, CT. He was also a charter member of Connecticut’s abolitionist society. He puzzled over the cause of Yellow Fever when it ravaged the population, and he developed the first scientific survey which led to modern medical research. He was a prolific writer on many subjects. His pamphlet urging the adoption of the U. S. Constitution was more influential than the Federalist Papers. He wrote frequent articles, educating, but more often admonishing, the public on whatever topic raised his ire at the time. He started the first newspaper in New York City. His spelling book for schools was an early success that led him to fight for a copyright law. Given all his contributions to American culture, it is ironic that today he is known only for his dictionary.

I felt bogged down at times with minutia from the author’s extensive research, and I can’t rank the book as highly as the biographies listed above. However I did feel compelled to read to the end to find out if this brilliant, success-driven man could ever achieve peace of mind.
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Aug 15, 2012 Tim Chavel rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about the life of Noah Webster. It tells much about the era that is lived. The book is interesting but gets blogged down every once in a while. I bought this book for $1.00 at the borders going out of business sale. It was marked originally at $26.95. The dictionary Webster wrote took many, many years. His was not the first "American" dictionary but as we all know it is by far the most famous. The author paints Webster as a person that is hard to like. He (Webster) has many negative...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was okay. I didn't know a lot about him, but it looked interesting in flipping through it in the store. To call him a "founding father" seems a bit of a stretch, since he was only in his late 20s then, didn't really have anything to do with either the Declaration or Constitution, and essentially just wrote some pamphlets in support of the cause. That said, it was pretty interesting to read about him.

overall, it was okay.

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Sep 29, 2011 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love words and have recently become interested in early American history, so this offered a delightful, well-researched combination of those topics. My only gripe is that the author's syntax is severely lacking in variety, which gets tiresome sometimes. One of the themes of the book that intrigued me the most was the idea that Noah Webster succeeded in creating his magnum opus not despite of but because of his mental illness.

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Feb 14, 2013 Meredith added it

For the word obsessed, this was an interesting book and topic, but it was a bit tough to get through. The author seemed to want to show off how many words he could use ("polymath" appears multiple times). He also didn't sugarcoat that Noah Webster was a bit an arrogant jerk, which is problematic when reading a biography. But it did supply a different context to Revolutionary War-era America which was interesting.

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Aug 08, 2012 Diane Kennicker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting book about Noah Webster and how he obsessed with compiling the dictionary. He was a part of some of the most significant events in American history. NW believed that the English language would help to unify the people of the newly founded United States.
He wasn't really a stellar success story during his life but he managed well enough. NW added much to the dictionary other than definitions.

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Jul 18, 2011 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was an entertaining introduction to Noah Webster. I never knew how innovative a marketer he was or that he was so instrumental in the establishment of American copyright laws. I also thought it was very interesting that he counted houses everywhere he went -- collecting data that ended up being useful to others.

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Jan 16, 2013 Dylan Benito rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kendall manages to write an entertaining book on one of our premier lexicographers. I found it entertaining and fun, but I have the feeling it might be a bit dry for people who aren't word nerds. If you like words and historical biographies, you'll probably enjoy this book as much as I did.

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Sep 30, 2012 Yvonne Carter rated it 3 of 5 stars

I learned a lot about Noah Webster, a compulsive list maker, active during formation of our government and Constitution and friend to George Washington. It was dry in a few parts

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Dec 22, 2011 Margaret added it

Shelves: started-but-didn-t-finish

Even with my secret love of dead white men histories, I couldn't get past the first chapter of this. Kelley, feel free to say I told you so :)

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Oct 20, 2011 Charity rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: quit

Since Mr Kendall didn't actually know Noah Webster, he made some generalizations about his personality which may or may not be true. These made me believe he did not actually like Webster. I quit reading this partway through because Kendall's dislike for Webster made me wonder why I should give up precious time reading about him.

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May 22, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. Interesting narrative of the decades-long journey undertaken by Webster in the determined pursuit of his goal: a truly American dictionary of the English language.

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Jun 04, 2012 Mary rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly, not every man who picked up a pen around the time of the American Revolution is a forgotten founding father. This is most certainly true of Noah Webster Jr. who may have been the 18th century equivalent of the crazy old man who calls the local news station everyday.
Secondly, this book was about as interesting as choosing between bisque and eggshell paint. While there were moments that piqued interest they couldn't be maintained.
Anyway, I hope my next non-fiction selection is better tha...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'll never remember all the names and dates, but do recognize most names.

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Feb 13, 2013 Jai rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rarely do I indulge in Revolutionary/early American reading for leisure, but this book was well worth it. A great argument and in-depth outline of Noah Webster's life, the founder of the American English language.

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Oct 12, 2012 Gerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

so very interesting - should be on every History buffs shelf !

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Jan 04, 2012 Marilyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I guess one needs to be somewhat compulsive (OCD?) in order to compile/write the definitive dictionary for a "new" language. Webster had a vision and was relentless in its pursuit.

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Oct 19, 2011 Matthew rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little slow and too overbearing at times, but a very interesting look at one of our founders.

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Aug 24, 2011 Anie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, academic, biography, non-fiction

Engaging and beautifully full of big words (as benefits a biography of a lexicographer). Kendall's portrayal of Webster is both honest---he points out the man's many faults---but also rather fond of this rather pugnacious and irascible lexicographer.

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Mar 14, 2012 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The next edition of Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary is due out in 2013...this book makes me want to pre-order it!

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