The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
Original price was: $22.99.$15.19Current price is: $15.19.
Price: $22.99 - $15.19
(as of Feb 27, 2025 21:39:43 UTC – Details)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The Washington Post
A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until now.
Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own? That feeling has a name: “sonder.” Or maybe you’ve watched a thunderstorm roll in and felt a primal hunger for disaster, hoping it would shake up your life. That’s called “lachesism.” Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time you’ve never actually experienced. That’s “anemoia.”
If you’ve never heard of these terms before, that’s because they didn’t exist until John Koenig set out to fill the gaps in our language of emotion. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows “creates beautiful new words that we need but do not yet have,” says John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars. By turns poignant, relatable, and mind-bending, the definitions include whimsical etymologies drawn from languages around the world, interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical essays that explore forgotten corners of the human condition—from “astrophe,” the longing to explore beyond the planet Earth, to “zenosyne,” the sense that time keeps getting faster.
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective, pondering the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. With a gorgeous package and beautiful illustrations throughout, this is the perfect gift for creatives, word nerds, and human beings everywhere.
Publisher : Simon & Schuster (November 16, 2021)
Language : English
Hardcover : 288 pages
ISBN-10 : 1501153641
ISBN-13 : 978-1501153648
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 1.06 x 5.2 x 7.2 inches
12 reviews for The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
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Original price was: $22.99.$15.19Current price is: $15.19.
BMac –
Odd, funny, moving, and fascinating
This oddity contains a wealth of language and emotional discovery. It explores difficult aspects of our experience in a novel and often darkly humorous manner. It is an oddly fun read yet can be moving, too. This curiosity is great for language lovers, sensitive souls, people with slightly darker senses of humor, and goth tee s who want to revel in the glorious misery unleashed by their shiny new box of hormones. I received it as a gift twice, and passed my extra copy on to a writer friend who also enjoyed it.
Reality tourist –
most interesting book
After learning of this Book via a newsletter I received and purchased. It is a unique approach to various life thoughts and actions/reactions individuals can or do look at life and situations. The information is collated in sections and then the author defines the words.While the name is a bit misleading, the parts I have read are enlightening and intriguing, offering new ways or bringing to my brain a new way of looking at simple things. I have also purchased this as a gift for a long-time friend.
Rebbecca –
Awesome amazing thought provoking
Very very creative and insightful. Great book for someone who has trouble identifying/ expressing feelings, deep thinkers
Duct Tape Yeti The Elusive One –
Does it matter to you that he made up words?
The five stars are for the delivery speed and price when I bought it compared to what stores were selling it at. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought some other book lol. The book arrived early since I bought other books and packaged them together. I’d waited to get my hands on this one for a while now. The look in person is not as attractive as the photos make it out to be. It’s actually dull in comparison in hand. Certain angles it really shines. A center piece item it is not. Center for conversation it could be for you I guess or it would be for me had I not watched a whole Ted talk with the author explaining word for word that he literally just made up words. Words are really important for me. It’s how everything was created. So I take that seriously. I was under the impression that he found words that had already existed and placed them in a book to make it more available for others to explore. Anyone can make up words like snoop dog now has a dictionary for unimportant words like fashizzle. This book lost value in my mind after finding this out. But that’s me because I take solace in the fact that words are generally agreed upon by a collective of minds who’ve studied where words come from but then that’s not true in every word case I’m aware. Perhaps my expectations were just set wrong? Perhaps the book advertisement was misleading in saying what the book actually is about. Either way the thrill is gone and the book feels cheap out the box anyway in my opinion. It’s a hard backing which I prefer over paper but not whatever company made this hard backing. He spent 7 years composing this thing and settled for cheap material wrapping to cover the book in? I don’t know. Rubs me the wrong way. If your amongst others who enjoy wheel spinning conversations to stimulate different perspectives about this subject then this could be a great read for that or for just making conversation with someone and never having read it all. As far as reading it for me, I haven’t really picked up the book since I found out on YouTube that he made it all up. I had just opened the book and started to explore it a couple of days before finding out. I enjoyed the new words and wanted to know more about the author and his experiences and came to find out he just made it all up. I’m glad he admitted this fact but also just kinda bummed out by it. Idk just kind of a buzz killer for me. Social media, tv, children, liars, everyday people just kinda make things up all day long everyday. Had I known I wouldn’t have bought it at all I think. It’s kinda dictionary like but not a dictionary exactly. It’s a compendium: a collection of words from a dictionary that has been summarized, shortened. And it includes other things at what seems to be complete random? Idk. Like little saying hear and there and some imagery that I’m not sure what the point is for. I don’t like sending things back and since it’s here already, I’ll use it to start conversations perhaps but for sure it’ll be a reminder to check out books more thoroughly before buying. I waited some time for this one to get on hand and it just wasn’t what I understood it to be and the material it’s made of clearly could have been made of better stuff. Let’s just say if it went missing under my couch I wouldn’t bother wondering if I’ll ever see it again. lol
jeonkookookookook –
Love love love LOVE IT
For each word, there’s enough room for a beautiful definition and description. It’s either a mini few sentences or a whole page of story unfolding. There’s a bunch of beautiful black and white art and photography pieces that represents each word in there. Overall I love this lil book, it’s a vast collection of words. I love how this is hardcover too and it’s textured. It’s just really pretty and feels nice to touch, it’s small and can be carried around easily without concern abt size.
Diep –
interesting book
it’s interesting. it’s not just a dictionary, as pictured, it has sections that are philosophical. i can’t say i agree with it, but it’s food for thought. overall, the book is well-made and cute
Jesster –
A must-have reference for poets, writers, logophiles.
Got this for Christmas, although for some reason, it was delayed. No matter, it was well worth the wait. I confess I haven’t “finished it” because it is a dictionary of sorts, and I keep in the bathroom to read a bit at a time. Who cares. Move on.Physically, the book is beautiful, feels good in the hand, and is visually appealing, in a sort of well, in an alternate universe, this book could have magic and power. It should hum or have fairy sparks coming from it. It does have power, truly.This is a dictionary of words that don’t exist but should, to describe the feeling of certain moments like looking wistfully out a windowpane that is dripping with rain. The words are carefully constructed, often with Latin roots, such that they SHOULD exist, and well, now they do.I think the title may be a bit misleading. This is not a volume designed to make one despair, to get the hankies out and boo-hoo along with the saddest songs one can think of. Rather, it is a poetic journey through fleeting moments and recognitions.For example: Echthesia: noun A state of confusion when your own internal sense of time doesn’t seem to match the calendar–knowing that something just happened though it apparently took place seven years ago; or that you somehow built up decades of memories in the span of a year and a half.I sure have this and am delighted to have it put to words. I assumed my woogie sense of time was either early onset Alzheimer’s or a byproduct of being the child of alcoholics. There’s hope, then.Wildly creative and wise, these new words rearrange my brain a bit and make me yearn to write poetry. Unfortunately, to date, I don’t seem to demonstrate an ability for same, but this would surely help.Poets? Writers? Dreamers? Bibliophiles? You need this dictionary. Ha-ha, pun intended, take not mine, but Mr. Koening’s word for it!
Jessiane –
Chegou dentro do prazo e completo.
Jessie Harrold –
I thought this book was absolutely exquisite. What a pleasure to read. I have been using these words as writing prompts, both for myself and in classes I teach.
Juan Carlos –
Me gusto mucho la presentación y contenido del libro, aunque pensé que el tamaño fisico del libro era más grande
pritykishore –
1. The original price mentioned on the book is Rs. 799 but the seller charged Rs. 951. It doesn’t even include the delivery charge. The seller is cheating by increasing the price.2. Amazing book. A beautiful read. Must buy. Paper Quality and aesthetics are great. Good content. Good binding also. Handy as well.
annabelle brummermann –
Sehr gut gefallen