Re: First use of the word "blurb" (15-5-1907)

On 2024-05-15, Ross Clark wrote:

As Crystal says, it is very rare that we can give the exact date of a
word's first use. This one was made up by American humorist Gellett
Burgess (1866-1951). He announced it at a dinner of the American
Booksellers' Association in New York on that date, and distributed
copies of a book of his published the previous year, with a spoof cover
featuring the word and an example of it. Next day the NY Times reported
on the dinner (and the word), which Crystal says was "the word's first
public usage". The dinner was presumably by-invitation-only. But
depending on what they said, there may be issues of use vs. mention
here.

Does mentioning (truthfully) that someone else used a word not count
for lexicographers?

I had no idea the word is that old. Without looking it up, I would
have guessed 1950s.

Perhaps this is why OED has no citation earlier than 1914 (a
collection of Burgess's writings, where he does both.)
>
OED's definition: "A brief descriptive paragraph or note of the contents
or character of a book, printed as a commendatory advertisement, on the
jacket or wrapper of a newly published book."

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