Title: The Deadly Dictionaries
- Gluttony: A Dictionary for the Indulgent
- Sloth: A Dictionary for the Lazy
- Lust: A Dictionary for the Insatiable
- Wrath: A Dictionary for the Enraged
- Envy: A Dictionary for the Jealous
- Greed: A Dictionary for the Selfish
- Pride: A Dictionary for the Vain
Author: Jennifer Wood
Publisher: Adams Media
Release Date: September 18, 2011
The Deadly Dictionaries is a series of seven books, all about 160 pages, and exactly what they’re called: dictionaries. I know, I know. I probably was the only one to be shocked by this, but if you’re expecting anything more than seven pocket-sized dictionaries, each with a Deadly Sin as its theme, you’ll be surprised too.
Each one is a very comprehensive resource for its specific sin, bound in hardcover with a fabric-like cover featuring simple illustrations with a silk screen quality to them that gives the series a very old or rare book type of feel to it. This really made me giddy when the series arrived for me to review. As a huge book collector, the look and feel were both surprising and brilliant for me. Unfortunately, they don’t smell old! That would have really made me feel like I was in my own version of the movie The Ninth Gate, collecting these rare and slightly esoteric books.
While there are no illustrations inside the dictionaries themselves, there are sin-specific quotes sprinkled throughout that help drive home the subject and really makes the reader/user of the resource think about the topic of each book. There were a few words that crossed over from one sin to the other, and some of the entries were phrases or slang words that made it feel almost like a mashup of a traditional dictionary with an urban dictionary. Overall, if you or someone you know is a book or word lover (or you’re trying to drop a no-so-subtle hint on your lazy roommate), this series would make the perfect gift. Much like one of my favorite captains, I’m a fan of all seven sins. Which one is yours?
