David Shulman
Encyclopedia
David Shulman was an American
lexicographer and cryptographer.
He contributed many early usages to the Oxford English Dictionary
and is listed among "Readers and contributors from collections" for the second edition of the OED (1989). He felt most at home in the New York Public Library
, undertaking his lexicographic research there and donating many valuable items to it. He described himself as "the Sherlock Holmes of Americanisms".
He was the founder of the American Cryptogram Association and a champion Scrabble
player.
At the age of 23 he wrote "Washington Crossing the Delaware
," a 14-line sonnet
in which every line is an anagram of the title.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lexicographer and cryptographer.
He contributed many early usages to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
and is listed among "Readers and contributors from collections" for the second edition of the OED (1989). He felt most at home in the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
, undertaking his lexicographic research there and donating many valuable items to it. He described himself as "the Sherlock Holmes of Americanisms".
He was the founder of the American Cryptogram Association and a champion Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
player.
At the age of 23 he wrote "Washington Crossing the Delaware
Washington Crossing the Delaware (sonnet)
Washington Crossing the Delaware is a sonnet that was written in 1936 by David Shulman. The title and subject of the poem refer to the scene in the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze...
," a 14-line sonnet
Sonnet
A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...
in which every line is an anagram of the title.
Works
- Shulman, David. An Annotated Bibliography of Cryptography. New York, London: Garland Publishing Co., 1976.
- "Scientists Baffled: George Washington Spotted on Venus!!!" in Chapter 14: "On the Untranslatable" in Le Ton beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of LanguageLe Ton beau de MarotLe Ton beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language , published by Basic Books in 1997, is a book by Douglas Hofstadter in which he explores the meaning, strengths, failings, and beauty of translation....
, by Douglas R. HofstadterDouglas HofstadterDouglas Richard Hofstadter is an American academic whose research focuses on consciousness, analogy-making, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics...
. pp 438-439
External links
- David Shulman. Obituary, reprinted in The Scotsman, Monday November 8, 2004.
- Washington Crossing the Delaware (1936) by David Shulman. An anagramatic poem.
- NSA: The Rare Book Collection in the National Cryptologic Museum. Contains reference to Shulman's 1976 bibliography.
- Straight From The H Files: The Hot Dog's True History from the web site of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Association
- The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the HumanitiesThe Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the HumanitiesThe Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities is an annual honorary bestowed upon an “established scholar of classical literature, who has made substantial contributions to the critical analysis of classical literature, or has been exceptionally skilled at inspiring an...
The Sigmund H. Danziger, Jr. Memorial Lecture in the Humanities 1999-2000 - letter dated June 19, 1998 More on 'The Big Apple' from The Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
. Barry Popik claims he and Gerald Cohen have the correct origin for the term.
See also
- Anagrammatic poemAnagrammatic poemAnagrammatic poetry is poetry with the constrained form that either each line or each verse is an anagram of all other lines or verses in the poem....