A surprising history of thirteen of America's most popular reference titles - books that hundreds of millions of Americans have bought and dogeared over the centuries - Americanon explores the strange personalities and social upheaval that led production of the country's common language, customs, and culture. Far from innocuous, America's dictionaries, almanacs, and manuals have shaped its world in profound ways. Spanning 245-years, the books sold tens of millions of copies and set out specific archetypes for the ideal American, from the self-made entrepreneur to the humble farmer.
