Editing Webster's Dictionary (section)

=== Second edition 1841 ===

==== 1841 printing ====
In 1841, 82-year-old Noah Webster published a second edition of his lexicographical masterpiece with the help of his son, William G. Webster. Its title page does not claim the status of second edition, merely noting that this new edition was the "first edition in octavo" in contrast to the quarto format of the first edition of 1828. Again in two volumes, the title page proclaimed that the ''Dictionary'' contained "the whole vocabulary of the quarto, with corrections, improvements and several thousand additional words: to which is prefixed an introductory dissertation on the origin, history and connection of the languages of western Asia and Europe, with an explanation of the principles on which languages are formed.<ref>Noah Webster, ''An American Dictionary of the English Language'', second edition (New Haven, Connecticut: the author, 1841).</ref> B. L. Hamlen of [[New Haven, Connecticut]], prepared the 1841 printing of the second edition.<ref name="morton">[https://books.google.com/books?id=1dKJrIRXhFgC&q=webster's+unabridged+dictionary Morton, H. C. ''The Story of Webster's Third: Philip Gove's Controversial Dictionary and Its Critics''. Cambridge University Press, 1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604062757/https://books.google.com/books?id=1dKJrIRXhFgC&q=webster%27s+unabridged+dictionary |date=June 4, 2023 }} {{ISBN|0-521-55869-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-55869-3}}</ref>

==== 1844 printing ====
When Webster died, in 1843, his heirs sold unbound sheets of his 1841 revision ''American Dictionary of the English Language'' to the firm of J. S. & C. Adams of [[Amherst, Massachusetts]]. This firm bound and published a small number of copies in 1844 – the same edition that [[Emily Dickinson]] used as a tool for her poetic composition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edl.byu.edu/index.php|title=Emily Dickinson Lexicon|access-date=May 31, 2011|archive-date=August 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810234426/http://edl.byu.edu/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Noah Webster, ''An American Dictionary of the English Language'', second edition (Amherst, Massachusetts: J. S. & C. Adams, 1844).</ref> However, a $15 (adjusted for inflation: $512.78) price tag on the book made it too expensive to sell easily, so the Amherst firm decided to sell out. Merriam acquired rights from Adams, as well as signing a contract with Webster's heirs for sole rights.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mobile.masslive.com/advmasslive/db_96659/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=bjieKlGe&detailindex=2&pn=0&ps=5&full=true |title="G&C Merriam: Where the words of Noah Webster lived and thrived" Wayne Phaneuf, ''The Republican'' |access-date=May 29, 2011 |archive-date=March 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309230036/http://mobile.masslive.com/advmasslive/db_96659/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=bjieKlGe&detailindex=2&pn=0&ps=5&full=true |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== 1845 printing ====
The third printing of the second edition was by [[George Merriam|George]] and Charles Merriam of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], in 1845.<ref>Noah Webster, ''An American Dictionary of the English Language'', second edition (Springfield, Massachusetts: George & Charles Merriam, 1845).</ref> This was the first ''Webster's Dictionary'' with a Merriam imprint.<ref name="rulon" />