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Rating: 
Summary: Great summer reading, couldn't put it down.
Review: I met Laura Lee in Michigan when she was doing radio. I knew then that she was going to do great things. She has a great mind for trivia and facts and of course, music. Love her...loved her book. In fact, later I'm ordering 2 more copies.
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Summary: Excellent book for classroom use!
Review: This book is an excellent source for classrooms, from English to History to Science. The stories of words is fascinating and a part of our culture. Students find the information interesting and they end up learning along the way. Ms. Lee's presentation style keeps the reader engaged, so they want to keep reading. My students end up talking about what they learned from her book, and look forward to my posting the next story each day. I also enjoy the book on my own as a source of entertainment as well as knowledge. Her writing style is fun and she has obviously done her research. I look forward to her next book.
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Summary: A story behind every name.
Review: This concise, well-researched and entertaining reference is an engaging and informative way to meet the people behind the origins of some of today's most common words and familiar names.
Written in a clear, conversational and often amusing style, it introduces the reader to more than 600 of the lighthearted, silly, fascinating, tragic or unbelievable stories of those who immortalized the names of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Rambo, Vick's Vaporub, M&M chocolate candies, Firestone tires, James Bond and Singer sewing machines, among others. The sources of some well-known eponyms (words derived from people's names) like mausoleum, academics and boycott, are also explained.
The book is divided in two sections, "The Names" and "Shorts", according to the length of the treatment given to each word's history, and the entries are presented in alphabetical order, which makes this book perfect for either browsing or consultation.
To add to your knowledge of name origins, I would recommend also buying the author's second volume in the series, "The Name's Familiar II". Both are excellent, interesting and fun resources you will keep referring to again and again.
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Summary: Fabulous read
Review: This is one book that is needed on everyones shelf. Truly an entertaining and creative read. Great gift for that hard to buy for person. I was unable to put it down this summer until I realized I was getting a sunburn! Looking forward to a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous read
Review: This is one book that is needed on everyones shelf. Truly an entertaining and creative read. Great gift for that hard to buy for person. I was unable to put it down this summer until I realized I was getting a sunburn! Looking forward to a sequel.
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Summary: A Book For Everyone!!
Review: This is truly a book everyone can enjoy. From the opening introduction, to the very last page, this book is a charmer. It's chocked full of names, stories and origins. It's laid out in easy to follow segments. If you've ever wondered why "hookers" are called that, or how a frisbee came into being, this is the place to find out. There are so many names and subjects, it's impossible for me to do it justice in this mini review. But, the story of Aesop (as in fables) is truly sad, and I'm sure he never imagined how long his name/stories would last. It is wonderfully entertaining and enlightening to learn the lives behind so many of our everyday words, phrases, household items, and even body parts!! I plan on taking mine to work tomorrow, to see who all I can "stump" :-) It makes a great ice breaker or conversation maker for that first date or just fun reading with an old mate or friend. Some stories are very lighthearted, while others are tragic, and still others unbelieveable. But, as they say, "truth is stranger than fiction" (somebody says that don't they? :-)
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Summary: The people behind familiar names
Review: You have heard their names. In some cases, you may not even have known they were people's names. But did you ever stop to think about the people behind them? Who was Sara Lee? Was there really a Chef Boyardee? A Sweet Adeline? Jack Daniels? Peggy Sue? James Bond, Charlie Brown, Alice in Wonderland and Dennis the Menace all took their names from real people. There really were a Jack and Jill and Romeo and Juliette. You'll find Kilroy here. Yes, there was a Virginia. Was king Wenceslas really "good?" Guppy, leotard, silhouette, lynch, even booze were once proper names. This book will tell the stories of the scientists who have become diseases and parts of the body, (at least in name), the pioneers whose names have become cities and the musician's friends who found their way into songs. What they have in common is that they are or were real people and their names have become familiar.
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