My Year of the Book - Day 86: Following the success of âStormâ in 1941, George R. Stewart began work on what became perhaps his most unique book, in the truest sense of the word. âNames on the Landâ grew out of his fascination with history, geography and mankindâs sociological and psychological need to leave something permanent on the land; even something as simple as a name. Interrupted by a secretive research gig for the navy (hinted at in the bookâs dedication) and subbing in for young teachers called to war, GRS finally finished it in 1945. The book was NOT a long, dull list of place names; instead, it described HOW and WHY towns, rivers, mountains and regions, etc. were named, and by whom (for example, the British, French and Spanish each had different naming practices, as did Native Americans with their largely oral tradition). It is a bright, thoughtful and fascinating work on a topic largely taken for granted; one few had considered or studied. It was also chock full of surprises, some quite humorous. The DJ cover art is very nice as well, with a slight and sneaky revision between the first 2 editions! It also appeared as an Armed Services Edition, and revised editions were released in 1958 (GRS added chapters on Alaska and Hawaii, as well as a âNotes and Referenceâ section originally eliminated by wartime paper restrictions) and 1967. It remains in print, and in use, today. GRS later compiled two place name books and one on given names in the twilight of his life. When asked, GRS named âNamesâ as his favorite of all of his books, and thatâs saying quite a bit. #bookish #booknut #bookgeek #bookworm #booklife #bookstagram #reading #placenames #naming #bibliophile #fortheloveofbooks #yearofthebook #rarebooks #firstedition #names #favoriteauthor #georgerstewart #history #geography #americana #regional #ushistory #americans #northamerica #folklore