On Language

William Safire’s column is the lead article of the NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, and by now it has become a fixed point of the Sunday landscape, the first thing one looks at upon daring the day to stay rational. If the TIMES can be said to reach the nation, Safire occupies the Sunday morning chair of the Committee on the American language.

The rest of the committee consists of hundreds of vigilant letter-writers who heap Safire’s desk with amplifications, appreciations, and what he calls “shame-on-you’s.” In his column, Safire often groups examples of usage and misusages to illustrate a theme. Here in the book, the entries are arranged in alphabetical order, and with the addition of these letters from the readers, the declarations of the column are enlarged into a stated meeting of the Language Committee.

John Ciardi
Saturday Review