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The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of…
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The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations for Readers and Writers (edition 1993)

by David Grambs

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426458,699 (4.16)2
A singular and indispensable reference tool, The Describer's Dictionary--now expanded and updated--has served for over twenty years as the go-to resource for writers who are determined to capture the world in just the right words.The dictionary uses a unique reverse definition-to-term format that makes it easy to zero in on the term you're seeking. Turn to the new section on sensory impressions, for example, to find vivid terms for "loud or jarring," such as "grating," "harsh," "piercing," "blaring," "thunderous," "cacophonous," and "raucous." And at the end of each section dozens of illustrative passages by notable fiction and nonfiction authors--including Donna Tartt, Michael Lewis, Zadie Smith, Khaled Hosseini, and Paul Theroux--bring the terminology to life.New in this edition:* Hundreds of additional definitions, terms, and synonyms* Brand-new categories, including "Physical States and Symptoms," "Temperament and Behavior," "Rooms and Interior Spaces," "Weather and Forces of Nature," and "The Solar System"* Over 400 new quotations from books, periodicals, and digital media by established and rising literary stars* An index of the more than 600 authors quoted in the book… (more)
Member:fiadhiglas
Title:The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations for Readers and Writers
Authors:David Grambs
Info:WW Norton & Co., New York
Collections:Your library
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Tags:David Grambs, dictionary, specialized vocabulary, shapes, patterns, edges, surfaces, textures, size, position, relation, proportion, emblems, symbols, lights, colors, buildings, dwellings, terrain, landscape, climate, clouds, animals, appearance of people

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The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms and Literary Quotations by David Grambs

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Showing 4 of 4
This is a nice category of words from which to choose character-building details.
  gitto | Nov 1, 2016 |
I haven't read the whole book, but I am using it as reference. It is a very good basic reference book for writing descriptions, but some sections like, for example, the eye section, could be longer. ( )
  LeticiaToraci | Feb 10, 2016 |
As one of those writers who built an entire room onto her house to store all the books with scribbles in the margins, post-it notes, bookmarks, and dog-eared books marking my favorite passages, when the time comes to edit my -own- works, it can be very time consuming (and so much more fun than eradicating adverbs) to sit down in the library and reintroduce myself to my old friends, searching for just the right inspiration to spice up that clunky character description or scene. This book collects many of the best of those descriptions into a convenient form, broken into general categories of description, as well as a thesaurus type listing of many less-used descriptive words. It was what I wanted after reading the reviews, and I am very happy with this concise collection which will give inspiration without making me forget I need to be editing, and not re-reading Atlas Shrugged. ( )
  Anna_Erishkigal | Mar 30, 2013 |
For wordophiles (is that a word?), this is one of those books about words that is just plain fun to read through. For writers struggling to find the right word, it's indispensible. Grambs has divided the book into sections which make finding the type of word you're looking for pretty easy. Searching for a word to describe someone with a blank face: go to "People/Faces/having a vacant face" and find "blank, unreadable, deadpan, inscrutable, mask-like, expressionless, impassive, empty, poker-faced."

I also like the way Grambs uses literary quotations on the page opposite the words to show writers at work. ( )
  labwriter | Mar 30, 2010 |
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A singular and indispensable reference tool, The Describer's Dictionary--now expanded and updated--has served for over twenty years as the go-to resource for writers who are determined to capture the world in just the right words.The dictionary uses a unique reverse definition-to-term format that makes it easy to zero in on the term you're seeking. Turn to the new section on sensory impressions, for example, to find vivid terms for "loud or jarring," such as "grating," "harsh," "piercing," "blaring," "thunderous," "cacophonous," and "raucous." And at the end of each section dozens of illustrative passages by notable fiction and nonfiction authors--including Donna Tartt, Michael Lewis, Zadie Smith, Khaled Hosseini, and Paul Theroux--bring the terminology to life.New in this edition:* Hundreds of additional definitions, terms, and synonyms* Brand-new categories, including "Physical States and Symptoms," "Temperament and Behavior," "Rooms and Interior Spaces," "Weather and Forces of Nature," and "The Solar System"* Over 400 new quotations from books, periodicals, and digital media by established and rising literary stars* An index of the more than 600 authors quoted in the book

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