An Exaltation of Larks

The ultimate collection of collective nouns - scholarly, whimsical, and utterly addictive. James Lipton's Expanded Third Edition represents the culmination of his decades-long obsession with "terms of venery" - those medieval hunting terms like "a murder of crows" and "a parliament of owls." This Ultimate Edition with more than 1,000 terms includes historical terms from medieval manuscripts, modern inventions by writers from Chaucer to John Updike, and Lipton's own creations (like "an unemployment of actors").

The book functions as linguistic history, demonstrating how English absorbed French hunting culture after the Norman conquest, and as celebration of language's playful possibilities. Lipton, later famous as host of "Inside the Actors Studio," brings theatrical flair to lexicography, making what could be dry reference material into genuine entertainment.

Viking's expanded 1991 edition appeared just as wordplay and language books boomed in popularity - think "The Joy of Lex" and "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." For language lovers, writers seeking the perfect collective noun, or anyone who delights in English's eccentric corners, this is the definitive reference and a genuine pleasure to browse.