Noah Webster (16 October 1758-28 May 1843) is a name that Americans have regarded as synonymous with "dictionary" for over a century. Popular opinion of Webster not only exaggerates his influence on lexicography, but fails to understand that his real contribution was not to form and direct the course of the language itself but to mold and rationalize the attitudes Americans have toward their language. Websterian zeal for reform, specifically authoritarian linguistic reform, has embued us with a reverence for dictionaries, grammars, and the printed word unparalleled in civilization. Webster's experience during his life in Connecticut as a lawyer, teacher, journalist, lobbyist, and essayist shaped his career as a lexicographer. He felt that the survival of the new nation depended critically on the establishment of a universal and practical system of education, for which there were neither adequate teachers nor suitable textbooks. Webster set out to combine pedogogy and patriotism...