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Product Description
Review
I happen to be one of those people who love these kinds of books, though unfortunately they frequently get lost in the mélange of frippery that is located around the checkout counter at better bookstores. Anyway, Foyle, who happens to own such a bookstore in London, has collected a fair-sized book's worth of odd and distinctive words, his favourite of which is "kakistocracy, a system of government where the rulers are the least competent, least qualified or most unprincipled citizens"--a word we ought to use more frequently. (The Morning News Book Digest )
I have found many surprises in the Philavery - I didn't know that alopecia literally means fox mange!
(Roddy Lumsden's Blog, www.booksfromscotland.com )Product Description
The word philavery was invented to describe this book: a collection of words chosen simply on the grounds of their aesthetic appeal. Some of these words appeal because of their aptness, some for their obscurity, some for their euphony, and some for their quirkiness. As a collection, they represent the fruits of a lifetime of reading and will delight all word lovers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is great fun for those who are interested in unusual words, even though there is, I think, a slight padding out. By my reckoning at least, some ten words out of the 105 listed here beginning with the letter A are not really all that unusual. But this must be a somewhat subjective judgment. Some 73 of the words under A I had never come across, and that's a pretty good score for this beautifully produced book. Would make a lovely present for a philaveryphile!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a really good book, full of obscure and fascinating words. Its also fun and a useful tool in getting reluctant readers to enjoy the power of words, it has been an excellent incentive in my family just by inserting one of the words in a text message knowing that the younger elements of the family will go and look it up in the Foyles. Wouldn't be without it now.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When I saw this advertised, I felt slightly ashamed that I had no idea what a `philavery' was.... It turns out I needn't have worried: the word was invented specifically to describe this book: "Philavery /fil-a-vuh-ri/ n. an idiosyncratic collection of uncommon and pleasing words."
The book is the result of years of word collecting by the author, Christopher Foyle, chairman of the famous Foyles bookshop in London. The `uncommoness' of the words included in the volume is defined by Foyle; as such many words in the philavery are familiar to me. Indeed, he states in the introduction that the US commander of the first Gulf War described information with little value as "bovine scatology". The author admits he had to refer to a dictionary to discover the meaning of scatology, which surprised me as I would not personally consider it an unusual word. The same goes for fabiform, exsanguinate, factitious, chino and countless more. Some words, such as `halcyon', were included not because they are particularly unfamiliar, but because of their fascinating etymologies.
In all, this would make a great gift with its attractive design and quality of production. And whilst the criteria for inclusion in the philavery seems somewhat spurious, and certainly subjective, this is a 230-page book full of obscure, quirky, fun, poignant words, so even if you know some of them already, there is still plenty to delight and inform word lovers.
The book is the result of years of word collecting by the author, Christopher Foyle, chairman of the famous Foyles bookshop in London. The `uncommoness' of the words included in the volume is defined by Foyle; as such many words in the philavery are familiar to me. Indeed, he states in the introduction that the US commander of the first Gulf War described information with little value as "bovine scatology". The author admits he had to refer to a dictionary to discover the meaning of scatology, which surprised me as I would not personally consider it an unusual word. The same goes for fabiform, exsanguinate, factitious, chino and countless more. Some words, such as `halcyon', were included not because they are particularly unfamiliar, but because of their fascinating etymologies.
In all, this would make a great gift with its attractive design and quality of production. And whilst the criteria for inclusion in the philavery seems somewhat spurious, and certainly subjective, this is a 230-page book full of obscure, quirky, fun, poignant words, so even if you know some of them already, there is still plenty to delight and inform word lovers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A bit too much of a Scrabble list
I love unusual words, and this (and its follow up Foyle's Further Philavery) is the kind of book I would expect to love. However it falls short of that for me. Read more
Published 9 months ago by E. L. Wisty
Great book
This book is fabulous, a collection of odd words which have all but disappeared from the English language. Read more
Published 17 months ago by D. Isaac
Interesting
Very informative and good fun. You will have lots of laughs playing guess the meaning of some of the words a great one for all the family both young and old.
Published on 17 April 2010 by Shoobs
Set now complete!
I was given "Foyle's further Philavery" and "My Philavery" for my recent birthday, so I wanted this volume to complete the set. Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2009 by KN Bladon
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