The Penguin Classic Baby Name Book

By Carol Wallace

Book Overview

Expectant parents poring over baby name books?usually tomes as large and as interesting as phone books?are looking for that special name with special meaning, a name with a legacy, a name for the ages. What better place for book-loving parents to look for the right name than in literature?Elegantly written, easy to use, and delightful to read, The Penguin Classic Baby Name Bookis divided into sections of boys? and girls? names. Entries include information on origin, meaning, variations, and, most important, literary namesakes. Throughout the book are sidebars with mini essays about literary characters and naming trends, as well as quotations from the books themselves. From The Penguin Classic Baby Name Book: Chloe(Greek, young green shoot?) A traditional name in pastoral poetry. The source is Longus?s fourth-century poem Daphnis and Chloe,? which concerns the romance between the offspring of a goatherd and a shepherd. In Uncle Tom?s Cabin, Aunt Chloe is the wife of Uncle Tom. A wonderful cook, warm and loving, she is saving money to buy his freedom. When he dies, she is heartbroken.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142004707
• ISBN13: 9780142004708
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.1" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Unexpected Joys

It is a baby name book, but its so much more than just your generic "Aaron", "Amy", and "Ainsley" with a quick blurb about origin or meaning. Carol Wallace instead includes names that appeared in various Penguin Classics. For instance, if you open the book to the Boy names you'll find Aaron and Henry and Marcus with information about characters in literature who bore the name. You'll also find uncommon, mythological or historical references such as Ion, Atlas, Hades and Hepzibah. Its truly fascinating, if you have any love for classic literature, and I find myself reading it almost like a novel itself, just straight through. It is not for everyone, and certainly not your average baby name book, but I can truly recommend it for those who love names, love literature, or are equally as eccentric as I am.