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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

69.0. "Verbatim Magazine" by RAJA::POWERS () Fri Apr 26 1985 09:53

Has anyone out there ever subscribed to Verbatim Magazine ("The Language
Quarterly")?  It's not the kind of magazine I'd expect to find on most
newsstands.  Can someone send me a copy to examine?  I'll return it
no worse for wear if you like.

- tom powers]
RAJA::POWERS
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69.1EDEN::FREEDMon May 13 1985 10:4027
I subscribed to Verbatim when it first was published, (I think),
in the mid-70's.  I was an armchair psycholinguist at the time.

It was started up by (???!!mind blank!)Lawrence Urdang(?), who
SEEMS to be a self-appointed Man of Letters, who has edited
some dictionaries (?Random House) and compiled some almanacs,
and made his way into Who's Who.  It was, at the time, a mere
6-panel brochure publication--more gloss than substance--and
substance at the level of this NOTES file--mostly conjecture
and anecdotal findings.  It was NOT a scientific journal; it
was more on the level of "Reader's Digest" or "Did You Know"
filler articles.

Needless to say, I let my subscription lapse.  However, to be
fair, 1) my memory may be too vague, and 2) it may have improved.
Bet you could get a "free intro" sampler--the address used to be
advertised in The New Yorker regularly.  (Or libraries have 
lists of sources of periodical publications.)  If I were poking
around along those lines, I'd take a look at (?)Quarto Lingo
instead/also.  But of course, I spend my free time looking for
"How to Improve Memory" materials, instead.

And--sorry, I don't have any old Verbatims at the bottom of my
birdcage to scrape off and lend you.  Hope you'll keep us posted
of what you discover, all the same!

                                                 Kate
69.2UrdangMARVIN::KNOWLESPour encourager les auteursMon Jul 13 1987 11:0813
    Re: .-1
    
    Law[u?]rence Urdang is the man.  They used to run an annual competition
    with a very wide brief - something like 'any article more than 1000
    wds long, suitable for publication in _Verbatim_'.  I suspect it
    was just a cheap source of copy (because entrants had to sign away
    their copyright).
    
    I've got the flier for an old competition (which would have an address
    on it) if anyone's still interested.
    
    Bob