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Robert Claiborne (1919–1990)

Author of Our Marvelous Native Tongue

14+ Works 996 Members 4 Reviews

About the Author

Includes the names: Robert Claiborne, Robert Clairborne

Works by Robert Claiborne

Associated Works

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Common Knowledge

Legal name
Claiborne, Robert Watson, Jr.
Birthdate
1919-05-15
Date of death
1990-02-03
Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Place of death
Manhattan, New York, USA
Education
New York University
Occupations
musician
writer
editor
folk singer
labor organizer
Relationships
Claiborne, Sybil (wife)
Organizations
National Writers Union
Scientific American
Short biography
During his first career, Claiborne performed with such singers as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.

Members

Reviews

handbook of word origins
 
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SrMaryLea | 1 other review | Aug 22, 2023 |
Great book on English language history.
 
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kslade | Dec 8, 2022 |
I’ve been having a fascination with language lately, and this sure was an interesting read. A lot of words that came from the same root - such as unite and unicorn - were related words whose relation didn’t even cross my mind, and I LOVE those situations where I learn something new. I did give this a 4 out of 5 stars because there were some words where he just gave the modern English word that we got from the root (most of the other roots had quite a bit more detail).
 
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historybookreads | 1 other review | Jul 26, 2021 |
A history of writing from the earliest picture drawings of early man to the spread of the alphabet by the Phoenicians and ending with a photoessay of calligraphy from Japan to medieval Europe. While an older book it was quite interesting because of the lavish use of photos and drawings. The author doesn't assume that he has the last word on the development of writing and hints that new discoveries may change some of our ideas. I would like to find a good article or short book that does update his information but this book was worth the time I spent because of the illustrations alone.… (more)
 
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hailelib | Jun 28, 2009 |

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Statistics

Works
14
Also by
1
Members
996
Popularity
#25,871
Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
4
ISBNs
33
Languages
3

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