Lecture “Kory Stamper on 18th-C. Grammarian/Author Ann Fisher”
In conjunction with the public exhibition “Hardly Harmless Drudgery: Landmarks in English Lexicography,” co-curated by Grolierites Bryan A. Garner and Jack Lynch, Kory Stamper — lexicographer and former associate editor for the Merriam-Webster family of dictionaries — will speak on “‘Young Ladies Who Chuse to Learn the English Grammer’: The Extraordinary Life and Work of Ann Fisher.” Fisher (1719-1778) was an English grammarian and successful author of several books. Her “A New Grammar” made her the first woman to publish on modern English grammar. She was also the first woman to publish an English dictionary, and the first grammarian to suggest that the masculine pronoun (he, his) be used generically. Her daughter Sarah inherited and ran The Newcastle Chronicle, which she co-founded.
Kory Stamper is the author of “Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries,” which provides lexicographical and language-related commentary for various media outlets, and appears in all six episodes of the 2021 Netflix series, “History of Swear Words.”
Registration
If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.
Support
We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings and would like to support that tradition and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.
Accessibility
An ADA-compliant lift from the street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.
A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.
Environment
The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.
Time: 6:00-7:30 pm EST
Free!
