From Ray Bradbury to Neil Gaiman, from Blade Runner to "Battle Star Galactica", science fiction has emerged from the margins of popular culture to claim a significant presence across media in print, film, and television. It has shaped our vision of the future and the way we talk about it. Brave New Words, the first historical dictionary devoted to science fiction, has been described by the Library Journal as "an admirable and unique source that demonstrates on nearly every page the surprising extent to which the language of science fiction has entered everyday English terms." It shows exactly how science-fictional words and their associated concepts have developed over time, with full citations and bibliographic information. In addition, the book demonstrates how many words we consider everyday vocabulary-words like "spacesuit," "blast off," and "robot"-had their roots in imaginative literature, and not in hard science. Brave New Words was first published in hardcover in May 2007. On August 9th 2008, the first edition was named recipient of the prestigious Hugo Award (for Best Related Book), given to the best science fiction titles of the previous year.
About the AuthorJeff Prucher is a former assistant editor at Locus magazine and a contributor to the OED's Science Fiction Research Project.
ReviewsThis is an indispensable work that is certain to delight fans of the genre. * The Guardian *
A mini-history of SF and its subculture that will fascinate anyone curious about the evolution of the language. * Lisa Tuttle, The Times (Books) *
Book InformationISBN 9780195387063
Author Jeff PrucherFormat Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Oxford University Press IncPublisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 156mm * 20mm