Notes and Queries

[petrea_mitchell]

I'm currently reading Origin Uncertain, a book about etymology (mostly about the process of investigating etymology, as most of the words covered have no definitive explanation). It has made multiple references to a publication called Notes and Queries, which I had never heard of before, and I have finally reached a section that explains it:

In the second half of the nineteenth century, word origins were discussed widely not only in learned journals but also in popular periodicals. Among the contributors, many were amateurs who knew several languages, studied Latin and Greek at school, and often suggested the solutions that still stand. One of the main outlets for such letters to the editor was the London biweekly Notes and Queries, established in 1849. In its pages, subscribers from all over the English-speaking world asked questions and received quick answers about practically anything: history, economy, politics, archaeology, geography, numismatics, literature, genealogy, and language, to name a few popular areas.

Sort of like an open thread in print! Or, given the back-and-forth polemics that Origin Uncertain details occasionally, maybe Victorian Usenet.

I have read a lot of books with Victorian or Victorian-like settings, and I can't think of a single one incorporating a publication like this. Now I'd really like to read one that does.

Comments

[delosharriman]

Notes and Queries is the greatest publication in the world. I adore it. And, yes, it is very Usenet-like.