Ever thought, ‘There should be a German word for that’? Well, now there is.
From the mind that created Schott’s Original Miscellany comes a unique volume exploring the idiosyncrasies of the human condition…auf Deutsch.
In which language but German could you construct le mot juste for: a secret love of bad food, the inability to remember jokes, Sunday-afternoon depression, the urge to yawn, the glee of gossip, reassuring your hairdresser, delight at the changing of the seasons, the urge to hoard, or the ineffable pleasure of a cold pillow?
Read Caroline Baum's Review
Ben Schott has done a wonderful thing: he's built hilariously long compound German words to express those moments which define the human condition: feigning sleep to avoid unwanted sexual intimacy, the morbid urge to slow down and stare at a road accident, staring at the refrigerator, hungry but unsure of what to eat, the inability to remember jokes....they're all here, with a helpful pronunciation guide and fabulously erudite footnotes.
An eccentric dictionary for anyone who loves language.
About the Author
Ben Schott is the author of Schott’s Original Miscellany, Schott’s Food Drink Miscellany, Schott’s Sporting, Gaming Idling Miscellany, Schott’s Quintessential Miscellany and the yearbook Schott’s Almanac (2006–11). Ben is a regular contributor to the New York Times and The Times. He divides his time between London and New York.
Industry Reviews
'Hugely inventive... Pleasantly pre-Web-a self-enclosed thing that rewards another, older kind of multitasking: reading, laughing, and learning.' * New Yorker *
'The Germans, thanks to Schott, now have the word Wohlverpackunsfreude, or the delight of a perfectly wrapped parcel. And
that, in a word, is Schottenfreude.' -- David Astle * Sydney Morning Herald *
'Ben Schott has a knack of entertaining us with facts for a number of decades now. But Schottenfreude could outdo all his previous sales...It is inevitable that words like leertretung (stepping down heavily on a stair that is not there / "void stepping") will be bellowed over the turkey carcass-strewn table of thousands of households this Christmas.' * Bookseller's Choice *
'Use this to learn a (made-up) German word every day. Because we need more speichelgleichmuf (pretending you haven't been accidentally spat on in conversation) in our vernacular, don't you think?' * Sunday Style *
'Perfectly tailored.' * New Republic *
'Immediately fascinating, amusing and enlightening.' * Weekend Press/Dominion Post/Waikato Times *
'Presented with Schott's usual combination of far-flung research and droll humour.' * Big Issue *
'Schott presents layer upon layer of sharply curated knowledge, which you can peruse as deeply or flippantly as you like...a bespoke encyclopaedia on topics from ancient philosophy to contemporary literature: it's bitty in size, but meaty in thought.' -- Kill Your Darlings
