Nabokov's favorite word is mauve: what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
2017
Language:
English
Description
What are our favorite authors favorite words? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? How can we judge a book by its cover? Data meets literature in this playful and informative look at our favorite authors and their masterpieces. A literary detective story: fast-paced, thought-provoking, and intriguing. Brian Christian, coauthor of Algorithms to Live By Theres a famous piece of writing adviceoffered by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and myriad writers in betweennot to use -ly adverbs like quickly or fitfully. It sounds like solid advice, but can we actually test it? If we were to count all the -ly adverbs these authors used in their careers, do they follow their own advice compared to other celebrated authors? Whats more, do great books in generalthe classics and the bestsellersshare this trait? In Nabokovs Favorite Word Is Mauve , statistician and journalist Ben Blatt brings big data to the literary canon, exploring the wealth of fun findings that remain hidden in the works of the worlds greatest writers. He assembles a database of thousands of books and hundreds of millions of words, and starts asking the questions that have intrigued curious word nerds and book lovers for generations: What are our favorite authors favorite words? Do men and women write differently? Are bestsellers getting dumber over time? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? What makes a great opening sentence? How can we judge a book by its cover? And which writerly advice is worth following or ignoring? Blatt draws upon existing analysis techniques and invents some of his own. All of his investigations and experiments are original, conducted himself, and no math knowledge is needed to understand the results. Blatt breaks his findings down into lucid, humorous language and clear and compelling visuals. This eye-opening book will provide you with a new appreciation for your favorite authors and a fresh perspective on your own writing, illuminating both the patterns that hold great prose together and the brilliant flourishes that make it unforgettable.
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Contributors:
ISBN:
9781501105388
9781541428065
9781541428065
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Staff View
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 48d69329-9835-02f4-b481-62967bbce2fa |
---|---|
Grouping Title | nabokovs favorite word is mauve what the numbers reveal about the classics bestsellers and our own writing |
Grouping Author | ben blatt |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2023-12-07 02:08:39AM |
Last Indexed | 2023-12-07 02:39:24AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
auth_author2
Adam, Vikas
author
Blatt, Ben
author2-role
Adam, Vikas,reader
hoopla digital
hoopla digital
author_display
Blatt, Ben
available_at_catalog
Central
Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks
detailed_location_catalog
Central
Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks
display_description
What are our favorite authors favorite words? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? How can we judge a book by its cover? Data meets literature in this playful and informative look at our favorite authors and their masterpieces. A literary detective story: fast-paced, thought-provoking, and intriguing. Brian Christian, coauthor of Algorithms to Live By Theres a famous piece of writing adviceoffered by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and myriad writers in betweennot to use -ly adverbs like quickly or fitfully. It sounds like solid advice, but can we actually test it? If we were to count all the -ly adverbs these authors used in their careers, do they follow their own advice compared to other celebrated authors? Whats more, do great books in generalthe classics and the bestsellersshare this trait? In Nabokovs Favorite Word Is Mauve , statistician and journalist Ben Blatt brings big data to the literary canon, exploring the wealth of fun findings that remain hidden in the works of the worlds greatest writers. He assembles a database of thousands of books and hundreds of millions of words, and starts asking the questions that have intrigued curious word nerds and book lovers for generations: What are our favorite authors favorite words? Do men and women write differently? Are bestsellers getting dumber over time? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? What makes a great opening sentence? How can we judge a book by its cover? And which writerly advice is worth following or ignoring? Blatt draws upon existing analysis techniques and invents some of his own. All of his investigations and experiments are original, conducted himself, and no math knowledge is needed to understand the results. Blatt breaks his findings down into lucid, humorous language and clear and compelling visuals. This eye-opening book will provide you with a new appreciation for your favorite authors and a fresh perspective on your own writing, illuminating both the patterns that hold great prose together and the brilliant flourishes that make it unforgettable.
format_catalog
Book
eAudiobook
eAudiobook
format_category_catalog
Audio Books
Books
eBook
Books
eBook
id
48d69329-9835-02f4-b481-62967bbce2fa
isbn
9781501105388
9781541428065
9781541428065
itype_catalog
Adult Book Non-Fiction
last_indexed
2023-12-07T10:39:24.907Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_catalog
809 B644 2017
owning_library_catalog
Sacramento Public Library
owning_location_catalog
Central
Fair Oaks
Fair Oaks
primary_isbn
9781501105388
publishDate
2017
publisher
Simon & Schuster
Tantor Media, Inc
Tantor Media, Inc.
Tantor Media, Inc
Tantor Media, Inc.
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Authors -- History and criticism
Authors -- Statistics
Fiction -- History and criticism
Games
Language and languages
Statistics
Authors -- Statistics
Fiction -- History and criticism
Games
Language and languages
Statistics
title_display
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
title_full
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing [electronic resource] / Ben Blatt
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing / Ben Blatt
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing / Ben Blatt
title_short
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve
title_sub
what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
topic_facet
Authors
Fiction
Games
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language Arts
Language and languages
Literary Criticism
Nonfiction
Fiction
Games
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language Arts
Language and languages
Literary Criticism
Nonfiction
Solr Details Tables
item_details
Bib Id | Item Id | Shelf Loc | Call Num | Format | Format Category | Num Copies | Is Order Item | Is eContent | eContent Source | eContent URL | Detailed Status | Last Checkin | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b24740809 | .i75616567 | Central | 809 B644 2017 | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | cenag | |||||
ils:.b24740809 | .i75616579 | Fair Oaks | 809 B644 2017 | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | faiag | |||||
hoopla:MWT11957217 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eAudiobook | Audio Books | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11957217?utm_source=MARC&Lid=hh4435 | Available Online | |||
overdrive:eda6c47c-d6eb-4f95-84d2-c78255e2b08e | -2 | Online OverDrive Collection | Online OverDrive | eAudiobook | Audio Books | 1 | false | true | OverDrive | Available Online |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b24740809 | Book | Books | English | Simon & Schuster | 2017 | 271 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm | ||
hoopla:MWT11957217 | eAudiobook | Audio Books | Unabridged | English | Tantor Media, Inc | 2017 | 1 online resource (1 audio file (5hr., 24 min.)) : digital. | |
overdrive:eda6c47c-d6eb-4f95-84d2-c78255e2b08e | eAudiobook | Audio Books | English | Tantor Media, Inc | 2017 |
scoping_details_catalog
Bib Id | Item Id | Grouped Status | Status | Locally Owned | Available | Holdable | Bookable | In Library Use Only | Library Owned | Holdable PTypes | Bookable PTypes | Local Url |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b24740809 | .i75616567 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | true | false | true | 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120 | 11 | |
ils:.b24740809 | .i75616579 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | true | false | true | 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120 | 11 | |
hoopla:MWT11957217 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | false | ||||
overdrive:eda6c47c-d6eb-4f95-84d2-c78255e2b08e | -2 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | true | false | false | false |