Modern Lexicography: An Introduction Book

We know that it's possible to write entertainingly about the process of writing a dictionary -- Simon Winchester has done it twice. Henry Hitchings doesn't have the knack. The word that comes to mind that best describes this book is "plodding".

The copy I bought was remaindered at $3.88. I can't say I was surprised.
A dull, pedestrian, aimless book. Though I dare say the scholarship was accurate.

Hitchings has recently come out with another book: "The Secret Life of Words". According to The New Yorker , "Hitchings offers a rich array of anecdotes and extracts, but the absence of a strong over-all argument deprives his account of momentum".

If you're looking for a present for the word addict on your holiday gift list, "Alphabet Juice", by Roy Blount Junior, looks to be a better bet (based on the first chapter, which I read in the New York Times).