Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/02/22/breathtaking-botanical-illustr.html
…
1 Like
4 Likes
What is COM PANION??? Arrrrgh! Terrible widow. Sorry, pet peeve of mine. The book is worthy of desire.
7 Likes
Yes,
but
the
lay
out
of
the
cover
gives
me
pa
use.
6 Likes
It made you look, though, didn’t it? It’s something that helps the book stand out and makes it memorable. I’m with you though, and I wouldn’t want my book to be memorable for the wrong reason.
That got me thinking about the word “companion” and why they may have chosen it over other possibilities. I’m supposing they chose it for the archaic feel. Quickly asking Google, some synonyms are given:
[one of several definitions]
a book that provides information about a particular subject.
…
synonyms: handbook, manual, guide, reference book, ABC, primer, vade mecum; informal bible …
But more interesting is the origin of the word:
Middle English: from Old French compaignon, literally ‘one who breaks bread with another,’ based on Latin com- ‘together with’ + panis ‘bread.’
So, “together with” and “bread”—perfect for a book about spicing our food!
4 Likes
One possibility might be that they want to piggyback on the reputation of the ‘Oxford Companion’ series.
(The ‘Oxford Companion to Food’ is my favourite food book of all time.)
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
