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Jack Lynch
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You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf From Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia Hardcover – February 23, 2016

by Jack Lynch (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
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"Knowledge is of two kinds," said Samuel Johnson in 1775. "We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." Today we think of Wikipedia as the source of all information, the ultimate reference. Yet it is just the latest in a long line of aggregated knowledge--reference works that have shaped the way we've seen the world for centuries.

You Could Look It Up chronicles the captivating stories behind these great works and their contents, and the way they have influenced each other. From The Code of Hammurabi, the earliest known compendium of laws in ancient Babylon almost two millennia before Christ to Pliny's Natural History; from the 11th-century Domesday Book recording land holdings in England to Abraham Ortelius's first atlas of the world; from Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language to The Whole Earth Catalog to Google, Jack Lynch illuminates the human stories and accomplishment behind each, as well as its enduring impact on civilization. In the process, he offers new insight into the value of knowledge.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    464 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bloomsbury Press
  4. Publication date
    February 23, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6.49 x 1.62 x 9.34 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    080277752X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802777522
  8. See all details
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lively and erudite . . . Lynch offers a reference book of reference books, a magical volume of infinite regress . . . You Could Look It Up can serve as a reminder of our enduring and impudent desire to keep the chaotic universe in some kind of neat and serviceable order." ―Alberto Manguel (Editor's Choice), The New York Times Book Review

"[A] wholly absorbing chronicle of the reference book." ―The Wall Street Journal

"A casual but fascinating read that feels like sneaking into a library after hours, it offers an absorbing glimpse into the world-changing and frequently turbulent history of the reference shelf." ―NPR.org

"As readers make their ways through this book, they are certain to discover a wide variety of must-haves . . . Great stuff for anyone who loves knowledge, deep or trivial." ―starred review, Kirkus Reviews

"Anyone who enjoys reference books will embrace this erudite compilation and Lynch's appreciative, fluent commentary." ―Publishers Weekly

"No harmless drudge he, [Lynch] takes a broad view of his subject and includes lively pages on several dozen radically different works . . . The serendipity of its contents is part of the book’s fun [along with] its high anecdotal and amusement quotient." ―Michael Dirda, Washington Post

"Especially fun for librarians, You Could Look It Up will entertain and enlighten many scholarly inclined readers and anyone who loves traditional reference works." ―starred review, Booklist

"Fascinating . . . You Could Look It Up is a history not simply of reference books as a genre but of the broader question of how we organize information and why." ―Shelf Awareness

"You Could Look It Up is an entertaining, enlightening look into the vast, complex world of reference books and their tireless compilers across the ages, extending far beyond the familiar works of Samuel Johnson, Peter Roget, and Noah Webster." ―Steve Kleinedler, executive editor, THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

"A stunning tour de force, Lynch's new book is compulsively readable. No one has ever packed so much fascinating information about reference books into one volume. Polymaths of the world, delight!" ―Bryan A. Garner, chief editor of BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY and author of GARNER'S MODERN ENGLISH USAGE

"highly readable . . . exuberant." - The American Conservative

About the Author

Jack W. Lynch II, MSGT, USMC (Ret.) is a highly decorated former U.S. Marine Master Sergeant. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor, the Joint Service Commendation Medal for valor, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Commendation Medal and the Achievement Medal. He is currently Senior Tactical Advisor for Strategic Analysis Incorporated.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Press; First Edition (February 23, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080277752X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802777522
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.49 x 1.62 x 9.34 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

About the author

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Jack Lynch

Jack Lynch
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Jack Lynch is Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. He's the author of a series of books and articles -- some for scholarly audiences, some for popular audiences -- on eighteenth-century culture, Samuel Johnson, William Shakespeare, the history of the English language, English grammar and style, reference books, and forgery, fakery, and fraud.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
42 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

kudzu9
5.0 out of 5 stars Who would think a book on reference books could be this fascinating?
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019
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The professor clearly knows his stuff and conveys it in an informative and very entertaining manner. His writing style is highly engaging with lots of well-observed detail and insights. The arrangement of the book is clever: each chapter deals with a pair of somewhat similar references that may be fairly contemporaneous or may be widely separated by time and geography. And between each chapter is a short, "half" chapter of several pages that provides fascinating insights into the general subject and history of reference works.
The references examined range from the obscure (the greatest early dictionary of India, the Amarakosha), to the practical (the Merck Manual), to the popular (Emily Post on etiquette). I've been fascinated by this subject for all my adult life, but learned lots of new and fascinating details from this book. If you have the slightest interest in how people have tried to organize and present information over the millenia, you will not regret buying this.
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Charles Malin
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but at times tedious
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2016
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A snapshot of reference works which have affected our society and technology. Not critical knowledge, but some interesting trivia about how access to information changes the scope of human inquiry.
One person found this helpful
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Karen P. Rhodes
5.0 out of 5 stars You Should Look Up You Could Look it Up
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2016
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You Could Look it Up is an engaging history of the most important and influential reference books in history, from ancient to modern times. Though importand and influential, many of the works Jack Lynch describes are quite obscure. He has a delightful style, and brings up the most fascinating facts about these books and of the sometimes quirky people who created them. When we think of reference books, we do not think of fun reading. Dr. Lynch, now head of the Department of English at Rutgers University, Newark, makes them fun. He pointed up some facts that I did not know about one old reference book I use frequently as a historian of Spanish colonial Florida, a Spanish dictionary dating from the 15th century. This perspective made my use of this particular reference book more practical as well as enjoyable. You Could Look it Up is not just for scholars, it can also provide much enjoyment to lovers of books and of words, as well as to history buffs.
5 people found this helpful
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Brian S. Mcferron
5.0 out of 5 stars The world of Important Reference (and not so important)
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019
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I received the book in a matter of several days after purchase. It was "used" but the condition it was/is in is absolutely acceptable. I spent a lot of time with this book, particularly upon after several loans from the local public library. It is not a "one sitting" book, but it will not take months to read - particularly if you are a librarian or you just love reference and lists. This work will give the reader an appreciation of all "things" in Reference and will renew the faith of those devoted to the print medium while indulging the digital fans. A very good read, and treasured metadata source!
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Jared R Towler
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind.
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2016
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We haven't read this one yet, but it looks fascinating. It is set up much like Plutarch's "Parallel Lives." It compares to reference works from the same time or place. Chapter 1 is Justine in the Earth: Laws of the Ancient Word. It compares The Code of Hammurabi and Justinian's Corpus furs cavilis.
Chapter 10 is Killing Time: Games and Sports. It compares Hoyle's A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist and John Wisden's Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. For those who like to pick up a hard copy of an encyclopedia and browse rather than type topics into Wikipedia, this is a great book.
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billy on bass
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2016
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As an English language enthusiast and lover of words, word origins, dictionaries and philosophy, a book like this expands my point of view in all of those fields and more. I found myself making notes on some of the books mentioned to track them down for further reference and enjoyment. I highly recommend this book to any and all who are inquisitive about what we know and how we came to know it. One of my favorite and most entertaining reading experiences in a very long time.
2 people found this helpful
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Richard H. Schnadig
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016
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Excellent overview of universal source material
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Audrey Sherfey
5.0 out of 5 stars The book is easy to read
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018
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A thorough exploration of what constitutes as reference, and how seemingly innocuous texts shaped history. Examples are well chosen and interesting. The book is easy to read, and well written.
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Top reviews from other countries

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書斎
5.0 out of 5 stars 世界史的な観点から書かれた辞典・事典の壮大な歴史
Reviewed in Japan on November 20, 2016
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Jack Lynch には数々の著作がある｡主なものをあげると、Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary: Selections from the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language、Samuel Johnson’s Insults, Anniversary Essays on Johnson’s Dictionary, The Lexicographer's Dilemma: The Evolution of 'proper' English, from Shakespeare to South Parkなど。さて今回上梓された本書は世界最古の法典、『ハムラビ法典』（Hammurabi’s Code）[ハムラビは紀元前1700年頃のバビロニア第一王朝第六代の王]から現在のデジタル時代の百科事典Wikipedia に至る期間に発行された辞書、百科事典、シソーラスなど約五〇冊を取り上げたものである。ジョンソンの辞書、ウエブスターの辞書、マレーのOEDなどが壮大なスケールの中で論じられており、爽快である｡日本ではしばしばオリジナル版とも増補版とも区別もつけられぬ者がちまちまと、その狭い殻の中でその相違を論じることが多い。評者は決してちまちました論議が愚と断じているのではない。それはそれなりの価値はあろう。しかし時には大きな世界観に立って眺めることも必要だろう。井の中の蛙大海を知らずという諺もある。英語で言うreference book の壮大な歴史の流れに関心のある方に一読をおすすめする。
2 people found this helpful
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Daniel Birch
4.0 out of 5 stars A book about curious minds, by a curious mind ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2016
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A book about curious minds, by a curious mind, for the curious-minded. A fascinating study of reference books, written with energy and humour, with a respect for the people who devote their lives to creating them. Particularly interesting to me is Lynch's insights into how the intended audience for a reference book, which is only occasionally the general reader, shapes how it is written, and in particular what content is included and what is excluded.
3 people found this helpful
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RF
4.0 out of 5 stars Information dive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2020
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Lots of great pointers to valuable reference books I did not know of. Off to check them out now. Bye.
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Michael
4.0 out of 5 stars Not really the kind of Reference Book I was expecting.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2016
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Deep, very deep writing. Touted by Reviewers as a Multi Reference Book which really it isnt. Still fascinting but not really what I expected.
One person found this helpful
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