Dictionary of Fine Distinctions
About
“…a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it.” —Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Rationality
What’s the difference between mazes and labyrinths? Proverbs and adages? Clementines and tangerines? Join author Eli Burnstein on a hairsplitter’s odyssey into the world of the ultra-subtle with Dictionary of Fine Distinctions. Illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Liana Finck, this humorous dictionary takes a neurotic, brain-tickling plunge into the infinite (and infinitesimal) nuances that make up our everyday world.
“This solid little volume is that rare thing: a usage manual that is both smart and utterly beguiling.” —Mary Norris, former copy editor at The New Yorker and author of Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
Press
The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay (CBC Radio)
‘Dictionary of Fine Distinctions’ Review: Subtle Shades of Meaning (Wall Street Journal)
Editor’s Pick (Air Mail)
An Excerpt from Eli Burnstein’s Dictionary of Fine Distinctions (McSweeney’s)
Book Making: Putting a fine point on it (Quill & Quire)
A Hairsplitter’s Odyssey (Hazlitt)
Yes, But Can You Really Explain the Difference Between Morals and Ethics? (Lit Hub)
Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: a conversation with Eli Burnstein (Overthink)
Reviews
“This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it. It resolves a great deal of puzzlement over confusable terms, and its endearing illustrations and lighthearted explanations multiply the satisfaction.” —Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct and Rationality
“Shrewdly treading the line between informativeness and pedantry. . . One doesn’t have to read for long before experiencing a ‘Eureka’ moment, in which a previously murky subject comes into focus.” —The Wall Street Journal
“This solid little volume is that rare thing: a usage manual that is both smart and utterly beguiling.” —Mary Norris, former copy editor at The New Yorker and author of Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
“Mark Twain once advised, ‘Use the right word, not its second cousin.’ Eli Burnstein’s delightful book will help you figure out just the right word to use when nuances matter. And it will even help you figure out your cousins: What’s the difference between a second cousin and a cousin twice removed, anyway? The answer lies within!” —Ben Zimmer, Wall Street Journal language columnist
“Like bringing a blurry image into focus, the fine distinctions we make in English sharpen our view of the world. Eli Burnstein’s witty explanations clarify our choice of words and remind us that, with language, precision is its own reward.”
—Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large, Merriam-Webster
“Every page of Eli Burnstein’s treasure of a book yields unexpected delights and talking points. His sense of humour and passion for esoteric knowledge have inspired me to engage with language in a different way. I know I’ll keep dipping into it all over again periodically for years to come.” —Mae Martin, Comedian and Writer
“A great idea, beautifully realized. I shall never have a latte again without thinking of this book! A joy to read.” —David Crystal, Linguist and Author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language
“Eli Burnstein writes with aphoristic, or should that be epigrammatic, grace and pomp. The sensation of reading him is that of strolling outdoors with a friend who’s just read a great explanatory treatise on, well, actually, everything, and whose demeanor is bubbly, useful, endlessly curious, and never didactic.” —Natan Last, New York Times crossword contributor and author of The Electric Grid (forthcoming).