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Rating: 
Summary: You can do better
Review: I bought this book because of the other review. It made me think this would be a book like Dictionary of the American West
by Winfred Blevins, which is a rich and wonderful short-course on Western history and spirit. It isn't. Western Lore and Language will answer some basic questions about western words and sometimes gives you pictures of the critters and plants it defines. It's hard cover and laid out with words on one side and definitions on the other--it's kind of attractive. But you can do better, and for much less.
Rating:
Summary: You can do better
Review: I bought this book because of the other review. It made me think this would be a book like Dictionary of the American West
by Winfred Blevins, which is a rich and wonderful short-course on Western history and spirit. It isn't. Western Lore and Language will answer some basic questions about western words and sometimes gives you pictures of the critters and plants it defines. It's hard cover and laid out with words on one side and definitions on the other--it's kind of attractive. But you can do better, and for much less.
Rating: 
Summary: What is a fish-burner since it has nothing to do with fish?
Review: What is a fish-burner since it has nothing to do with fish?This book is perfect for writers who want a to reveal the old west as accurately as possible including anachronistic terminology that help set the scene. Among the authors of Western Fiction, based in truth, are Zane Gray, Larry McMurtry, and Louis L'Amour. Their books are popular because they are realistic and do not throw in a modern term that would destroy the time setting. Time travel novels for the SF/F genre, historical romance, history, mystery, and discovery writers benefit from this great dictionary as well. Today a zephyr is most commonly thought of as a gentle breeze, but in the 1860's the Washoe zephyr was a strong west wind blowing through the Truckee River Valley during the Spring and the Fall. Not only is the time frame provided, but also the specific location. Washoe was an Indian tribe that inhabited the area that has now become known as Reno, Nevada.. The famous Comstock Lode at nearby Virginia City during the 1850's created many terms that are now obsolete. The Washoe canary was the nickname for a burro. Camisa is a beautiful word, a great name for a heroine. However, it is a Spanish based word used in 1830 to describe a loose blousy shirt or chemise. What is a hydrophobia skunk? The psychological etymology would be a skunk has an abnormal fear of water. In the Southwest of 1910 it was the term that was used to describe a skunk whose bite caused madness; rabies were common to many pests and rodents in the region. The water dog is not canine. It is the Western name for any variety of salamander that was most commonly used as fish bait for Bass. The time frame was about 1850. A fish-burner (also spelled fish burner) is an Alaskan term for a sled dog, especially one that is used in competitive sled rides. A hayburner, on the other hand, is a jocular term for a horse. The design of the book places the words in a left column, the meaning are in the right. It has sufficient white space to make it easy to match the word with the meaning. Photographs are connected to the some of words for descriptive purposes. One of the most effective aspect of the book is to provide dates, areas, language base (e.g., Spanish, Alaskan, Latin, Chinook, etc.), and some history for each word. Anyone interested in the old west will find the book fascinating; writers will find a wonderful tool that help create the stories of the American West. Without a doubt this is a 5 star delight.
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