The Best Old Book
I’m a sucker for a good thesaurus. I realize that may make me sound like one of the most boring people on the planet, but just hear me out.
About twenty years ago or so, I was living life as a recent college graduate and newlywed professional in the camping industry, a job I truly enjoyed but rarely miss. We didn’t have any children yet and when my husband’s burgeoning career came to an anticipated crossroad, I found myself with a good opportunity to pursue a different professional path.
That’s when I went back to grad school at the University of Missouri to earn my master’s degree in literature and creative writing. Before I could do that, however, I had to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
The first step was, of course, to buy one of those big test prep books—you know the ones that are as thick as an old-fashioned New York City phone book stacked on top of the “S” volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica that still collects dust on the shelf in your parents’ basement? Yeah, that’s the one.
It’s been quite a few years and I’m unfamiliar with the test format now, but one of my biggest concerns then was the analogies portion in which I would be asked:
If shoe is to apricot, then rodeo is to______.
a. Golden Retriever
b. Grecian vase
c. central heating
d. toothbrush
Except replace all the words in the question and answers with ones you’ve never heard of before.
The Great Big Book of Test Prep recommended studying with a thesaurus. So, I bought myself another book that weighed roughly the same as your run-of-the-mill anvil and got to work. I looked up the words from practice tests and any grandiloquent words I came across in my pleasure reading. Soon I had whole families and clusters of new, slightly pretentious, words to which I could attach at least vague meaning.
And I had become a huge fan of Mr. Roget.
Since then, my collection has expanded to include multiple generations of recently updated thesauri, a handy pocket version, and an early edition from 1866, about fourteen years after the original 14,000-word masterpiece compiled by Peter Mark Roget.
Of course there are several online versions available as well, but I rarely write without a print copy of a thesaurus nearby. Because I write a great deal of historical fiction, the oldest one in my collection especially comes in handy.
My most recent historical novel, Smoke Rose to Heaven, benefited greatly from Mr. Roget’s assistance. His marvelous book and its descendants helped me to put the final polish on the 19th century world my characters inhabit. It served to pepper their language with quaint, but still accessible, words as they galloped across their lush historical landscape occasionally stumbling over an abandoned child, a lost manuscript, or an assassin.
And that’s why I’m a sucker for a good thesaurus. Also, the answer is C, which I’m sure you already knew.
Book Blurb:
New York, 1872.
Diviner Ada Moses is a finder of hidden things and a keeper of secrets. In her possession is a lost manuscript with the power to destroy the faith of tens of thousands of believers.
When a man seeking the truth knocks at her door with a conspiracy theory on his lips and assassins at his heels, she must make a choice.
Spurred by news of a ritualistic murder and the arrival of a package containing the victim’s bloody shirt, Ada must either attempt to vanish with the truth or return the burden she has long borne to the prophet responsible for one of the most successful deceptions in US history.
Protecting someone else’s secret may save Ada’s life, but is that worth forcing her own demons into the light?
Author Bio:
SARAH ANGLETON is the author of the historical novels Gentleman of Misfortune and Smoke Rose to Heaven as well as the humor collection Launching Sheep & Other Stories from the Intersection of History and Nonsense. She lives with her husband, two sons, and one loyal dog near St. Louis, where she loves rooting for the Cardinals but doesn’t care for the pizza.
Social Media Links:
Sarah is giving away 5 e-book copies of SMOKE ROSE TO HEAVEN and all you have to do for a chance to win a copy is to leave a comment below.
To follow along with the rest of her tour, please drop in on her 4WillsPub tour page.
If you’d like to take your book or books on a virtual blog tour, please visit us at 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com and click on the VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR tab.
Thank you for supporting this author’s tour and also the blogger of this post!
Thank you, Karl, for hosting me today!
Always a pleasure, Sarah!
Present day writers have a lot of good going for them, Sarah. The resources available to them abound and easily accessible. Thank you Karl for hosting.
True. Thanks for stopping in!
Oh oh. I would have flunked that GRE exam if C was the answer. My best guess would have been D, toothbrush. My logic: Foot goes onto a horse at the rodeo…. Apricot goes into my mouth, followed by a toothbrush… I’m so glad I didn’t have to take that exam to get into my Master’s program. 😉
Rebecca Carter (writing as Ronesa Aveela)
LOL. Sounds good to me.
Great post! You made me laugh with “the answer is C.” Believe it or not, when I taught high school, we still encouraged students to choose B or C straight though any questions they didn’t know because their chances of getting the questions correct were higher. Lol! I, too, remember studying for my GRE (not fond memories…lol!). I teach middle school now, and thesaurus.com is used quite often in my class. In fact, my students used it today. It’s such a great way to learn new words. 🙂
I believe it! I’m pretty sure that’s how I made it into grad school. 😉
I adore my thesaurus, too!
I knew I wasn’t the only one! 😊
Great post, Sarah! I enjoyed analogies, but boy did I struggle with them!! lol Enjoying your blog tour and looking forward to what’s next. 🙂 Thanks so much for hosting, Karl!!
Thanks, Mar!
I have sincerely enjoyed this tour, Sarah! I too am a huge lover of my Thesaurus and have several editions, plus a bookmark on my computer that I open often. And, there is another book that I refer to almost as often by one of our RRBC members, Nicholas Rossis called, “Emotional Beats.” It’s a fantastic reference book! Thanks for sharing, and thank you, Karl for hosting!
Ooh, that sounds intriguing. I’ll have to check it out!
Looks like a great book, Sarah! I added to my list. Karl thank you.
Thanks so much, Rox!
I am really enjoying your posts, Sarah! May many new readers discover your work.
Thanks for hosting, Karl.
Thank you, Beem! This tour has greatly exceeded my expectations. I’ve really been overwhelmed by the support from so many. It’s been such a pleasure interacting with everyone.