Book - Home Ground - Language for an American Landscape

"Have you ever wondered how it came to be called Las Vegas? Or why the Natchez Trace, not the Natchez Trail? Or what the difference is between ripples and riffles in a stream? Home Ground brings together, for the first time, the distinctly American vocabulary that people use to characterize the country's landscape." 45 imaginative writers have crafted more than 850 definitions for words like vega and trace, and flatiron, bayou, milk gap and looking-glass prairie. If you're wordsmith, or just enjoy learning the meaning of words in different parts of America, or just curious about how places got their names, this is a great book for you. "Home Ground is an invitation to learn American geography, to read American history, and to celebrate a deeply engaging dimension of American character." Published by Trinity University Press, San Antonio, TX Copyright 2006. Printed on recycled paper. This book and its dustcover are in nearly new condition. No rips, tears, etc. Smoke-free home.