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A review by chrisiant
Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States by George R. Stewart
4.0
Totally interesting subject matter. Stewart's writing at times feels rambly and repetitive, but then it's peppered throughout with quirky stories of the origin of specific places. It also seems very thorough, with some good comparison of the historical trends in place naming as well as just a chronicling of what the names are and how they came to be.
I appreciate Stewart's contempt for people who replaced solid, if sometimes leaning towards crude, names that reflected the experience of the settlers, with poncy faux-English names like Wildermere.
If anything this has made me more curious about the origins of place-names elsewhere, though I imagine the longer an area's recorded history goes back the harder it is to trace such things with any degree of accuracy. But as Stewart chronicles the numerous name-changes some settlements in the comparatively young US have undergone it makes me wonder about the number of changes, particularly in areas like the Balkans that have frequently had empires pass across them and back.
Interesting stuff, well-written and good on Stewart for providing extensive notations. I appreciate them.
I appreciate Stewart's contempt for people who replaced solid, if sometimes leaning towards crude, names that reflected the experience of the settlers, with poncy faux-English names like Wildermere.
If anything this has made me more curious about the origins of place-names elsewhere, though I imagine the longer an area's recorded history goes back the harder it is to trace such things with any degree of accuracy. But as Stewart chronicles the numerous name-changes some settlements in the comparatively young US have undergone it makes me wonder about the number of changes, particularly in areas like the Balkans that have frequently had empires pass across them and back.
Interesting stuff, well-written and good on Stewart for providing extensive notations. I appreciate them.