Dickens penned close to five million words in his lifetime and possessed a vocabulary as wide and whimsical as his imagination, zany and fun words such as wiglomeration, catawampous,
comfoozle, tintinnabulation, and snuggery. Culled from his fifteen classic novels and hundreds of short stories, What the Dickens?! is a literary romp through the twisty alleyways of
the Victorian vernacular. Following the etymological trail of fogle-hunters” inOliver Twist, dining at a slap-bang” in Bleak House, or taking care not to get burked” inThe
Pickwick Papers, readers will be escorted through a linguistic tour of Dickens’s beloved world. The book will include 200 words alongside pithy commentary, and 30 duo-toned illustrations
throughout.
