A new, completely revised and much extended edition of H. L. Mencken’s well-known work first issued in a limited edition as a “preliminary inquiry” in 1919, this book is the most comprehensive treatise on the American dialect ever attempted. It almost exhausts the subject. It is a genuine magnus opus of over 500 pages, with extensive bibliographies and a word and phrase index of 12,000 entries. Avoiding the typical dullness of such books about language, Mencken created a thoroughly entertaining read.