Willard Richardson Espy (11 December 1910–20 February 1999) was a U.S. editor, philologist, writer, and poet. He is particularly remembered for his anthology of light verse and wordplay, An Almanac of Words at Play, and its two sequels. His writing and poetry regularly appeared in Punch, Reader's Digest, and Word Ways.
Bibliography
- The Game of Words (1971) (ISBN 0-7234-0173-X)
- Oysterville – Roads to Grandpa's Village (1976) (ISBN 0-517-52196-2)
- The Game of Words (1972) (ISBN 0-448-01196-4)
- Omak Me Yours Tonight, or, Ilwaco million miles for one of your smiles: A Ballard of Washington State (1993) (ISBN 0-9634294-1-8)
- An Almanac of Words at Play (1975) (ISBN 0-517-52463-5)
- The Life and Works of Mr. Anonymous (1977) (ISBN 0-380-45047-X)
- O Thou Improper, Thou Uncommon Noun (1978) (ISBN 0-517-53511-4)
- (1980) (ISBN 0-14-005733-1)
- Another Almanac of Words at Play (1981) (ISBN 0-233-97288-9)
- The Wars of the Words (1980)
- A Children's Almanac of Words at Play (1982) (ISBN 0-340-34852-6)
- (1984) (ISBN 0-671-25255-0)
- (1982) (ISBN 0-517-54598-5)
- (1983) (ISBN 0-934878-31-5)
- (1983) (ISBN 0-06-181256-0)
- (1984) (ISBN 0-517-54757-0)
- Words to Rhyme With (1986) (ISBN 0-8160-4313-2)
- The Word's Gotten Out (1989) (ISBN 0-517-07940-2)
- Skullduggery on Shoalwater Bay (1998)
- The Best of An Almanac of Words at Play (1999) (ISBN 0-87779-145-7)
External links
- The Willard R. Espy Literary Foundation (includes biography)
- New York Times obituary
