Clarence Barnhart
Encyclopedia
Clarence Lewis Barnhart was an American lexicographer best known for writing the Thorndike-Barnhart series of graded dictionaries, which were based on word lists developed by psychological
theorist Edward Thorndike.
During World War II he undertook the editing of the Dictionary of U.S. Army Terms (TM-20-205) for the War Department. He created the American College Dictionary
, published by Random House
in 1947, which was later used as the basis of the Random House Dictionary. His three-volume New Century Cyclopedia of Names
, published in 1954, was an expansion of the original 1894 volume of the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
. From this latter work, he produced the New Century Handbook of English Literature. In the 1950s and 1960s he developed the linguistic approach to reading instruction begun by Leonard Bloomfield.
His largest general dictionary was the World Book Dictionary
, a two-volume work created as a supplement to the World Book Encyclopedia
. It was first published in 1963 and revised in 1976, totaling approximately 225,000 individual entries. Consistent with the encyclopedia's use by young people, he wrote definitions which were both simple and accurate, and most entries include sample sentences or phrases. Like Webster's Third New International, it included few proper names, leaving them to be covered by the companion volumes of the encyclopedia.
He also co-edited the three editions of the Dictionary of New English, covering new words from the 1960s through the 1980s. In 1982 he began editing a quarterly publication devoted to thorough dictionary treatment of new words, new meanings and changes in usage entitled The Barnhart Dictionary Companion.
Nearly all of his dictionaries were based heavily upon the collection of evidence the value of which he learned from work he did for Sir William Craigie on the Dictionary of American English
at the University of Chicago. Over his career of 64 years he and his staffs accumulated a file of over 7 million quotations exhibiting contemporary usage of English words. He was active in interlinguistics
, serving as a consultant to the research body
that presented Interlingua
in 1951. In the late 20th century he helped, with his son David, to pioneer the use of electronically retrievable evidence from computerized files of news publications.
His sons, David Barnhart
and Robert Barnhart
, are also lexicographers of note.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
theorist Edward Thorndike.
During World War II he undertook the editing of the Dictionary of U.S. Army Terms (TM-20-205) for the War Department. He created the American College Dictionary
American College Dictionary
The American College Dictionary was the first Random House dictionary and was later expanded to create the Random House Dictionary of the English Language. First published in 1947, The American College Dictionary was edited by Clarence Barnhart based on the 1927 New Century Dictionary....
, published by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 1947, which was later used as the basis of the Random House Dictionary. His three-volume New Century Cyclopedia of Names
Century Dictionary
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia was one of the largest encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language. The first edition was published from 1889 to 1891 by The Century Company of New York, in six, eight, or ten volume versions in 7,046 pages with some 10,000 wood-engraved illustrations...
, published in 1954, was an expansion of the original 1894 volume of the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
Century Dictionary
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia was one of the largest encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language. The first edition was published from 1889 to 1891 by The Century Company of New York, in six, eight, or ten volume versions in 7,046 pages with some 10,000 wood-engraved illustrations...
. From this latter work, he produced the New Century Handbook of English Literature. In the 1950s and 1960s he developed the linguistic approach to reading instruction begun by Leonard Bloomfield.
His largest general dictionary was the World Book Dictionary
World Book Dictionary
The World Book Dictionary is a two volume English dictionary published as a supplement to the World Book Encyclopedia. It was originally published in 1963 under the editorship of Clarence Barnhart, who wrote definitions for the Thorndike-Barnhart graded dictionary series for children, based on the...
, a two-volume work created as a supplement to the World Book Encyclopedia
World Book Encyclopedia
The World Book Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia published in the United States. It is self-described as "the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world." The encyclopedia is designed to cover major areas of knowledge uniformly, but it shows particular strength in scientific, technical, and...
. It was first published in 1963 and revised in 1976, totaling approximately 225,000 individual entries. Consistent with the encyclopedia's use by young people, he wrote definitions which were both simple and accurate, and most entries include sample sentences or phrases. Like Webster's Third New International, it included few proper names, leaving them to be covered by the companion volumes of the encyclopedia.
He also co-edited the three editions of the Dictionary of New English, covering new words from the 1960s through the 1980s. In 1982 he began editing a quarterly publication devoted to thorough dictionary treatment of new words, new meanings and changes in usage entitled The Barnhart Dictionary Companion.
Nearly all of his dictionaries were based heavily upon the collection of evidence the value of which he learned from work he did for Sir William Craigie on the Dictionary of American English
Dictionary of American English
A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles is a dictionary of terms appearing in English in the United States that was published in four volumes from 1938 to 1944 by the University of Chicago Press...
at the University of Chicago. Over his career of 64 years he and his staffs accumulated a file of over 7 million quotations exhibiting contemporary usage of English words. He was active in interlinguistics
Interlinguistics
Interlinguistics is the study of various aspects of linguistic communication between people who cannot make themselves understood by means of their different first languages...
, serving as a consultant to the research body
International Auxiliary Language Association
The International Auxiliary Language Association was founded in 1924 to "promote widespread study, discussion and publicity of all questions involved in the establishment of an auxiliary language, together with research and experiment that may hasten such establishment in an intelligent manner and...
that presented Interlingua
Interlingua
Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association...
in 1951. In the late 20th century he helped, with his son David, to pioneer the use of electronically retrievable evidence from computerized files of news publications.
His sons, David Barnhart
David Barnhart
David K. Barnhart is an American lexicographer who specializes in new words. He began his career helping his father, Clarence Barnhart, edit the Thorndike-Barnhart dictionary series....
and Robert Barnhart
Robert Barnhart
Robert K. Barnhart was an American lexicographer and editor of various specialized dictionaries. He was co-editor, with his father Clarence Barnhart, on some editions of the Thorndike-Barnhart dictionaries and The World Book Dictionary...
, are also lexicographers of note.