The bizarre meanings behind everyday names! Did you know that Jacobs tend to cheat in school, Marys have nasty attitudes, and Catherines like to cause pain? If our names are meant to represent our character, then these kids have quite a number of unsavory traits, according to their moniker's definition. The same is true for many of today's common names. From Andrea (strong and manly) and Douglas (black water) to Hayden (heathen) and Trent (invader, trespasser), these people have been granted a life of misery, ugliness, mischief, and confusion simply by being referred to by their name. The Terrible Meanings of Names reveals the strange (and sometimes insulting) meanings behind the names you hear every day. Filled with hundreds of unfortunate definitions and backstories, you'll uncover the surprising origins and definitions of all your friends' names.

Dr. Alan Gribben, a foremost Twain scholar, made waves in 1980 with the publication of Mark Twain's Library, a study that exposed for the first time the breadth of Twain's reading and influences. Prior to Gribben's work, much of Twain's reading history was assumed lost, but through dogged searching Gribben was able to source much of Twain's library. Mark Twain's Literary Resources is a much-expanded examination of Twain's library and readings. Volume I included Gribben's reflections on the work involved in cataloging Twain's reading and analysis of Twain's influences and opinions. This volume, long awaited, is an in-depth and comprehensive accounting of Twain's literary history. Each work read or owned by Twain is listed, along with information pertaining to editions, locations, and more. Gribben also includes scholarly annotations that explain the significance of many works, making this volume of Mark Twain's Literary Resources one of the most important additions to our understanding of America's greatest author.

Appalachian women have been the subject of song, story, and report for nearly two centuries. Now for the first time a fully annotated bibliography makes accessible this large body of literature. Works covered include novels, short stories, magazine articles, manuscripts, dissertations, surveys, and oral history tapes—altogether over 1,200 items. The annotated listings are grouped under broad subject headings, including biography, coal mining, education, fiction, health care, industry, migrants, music, poetry, and religion. An author/title/subject index provides easy access to the listings.