In 1899, a bored lexicographer working for the upcoming Swansby's Encyclopaedic Dictionary experiences a bit of drama that inspires him to coin a flurry of neologisms for inclusion in the dictionary. His actions, however, are not discovered until more than a century later, when an intern working for Swansby's is assigned to hunt down the fake words before they — and the soon-to-be-digitized dictionary — become the laughingstocks of the reference world.
This is a quirky novel, full of fun wordplay and two somewhat similar (though definitely not entirely parallel) stories. I particularly enjoyed the older storyline, as Winceworth seemed quite the peculiar fellow, and I would have loved to read more about him. A fun read for lovers of obscure words.
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