Schott’s Significa
A Miscellany of Secret Languages
Contributors
By Ben Schott
Formats and Prices
- On Sale
- Oct 7, 2025
- Page Count
- 304 pages
- Publisher
- Workman Publishing Company
- ISBN-13
- 9781523532261
Price
$35.00Price
$46.00 CADFormat
Format:
- Hardcover $35.00 $46.00 CAD
- ebook $16.99 $21.99 CAD
Buy from Other Retailers:
Here is an obsessive and fascinating look at the systems of language and knowledge that surrounds us. Ben Schott breaks down the lingo, slang, and jargon found in dozens of fascinating professions, events, and subcultures—from the insider language used in casino gambling to the NYC diamond district and professional sommeliers to London cabbies.
For those who love language and wish to gain access to rarified worlds, this book is an elegant and smart look at so much hiding in plain sight around us. With its gorgeously erudite and detailed design, full-color photos throughout, and thoroughly researched survey of lingo and culture, Schott’s Significa will change how you see the world.
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"You will be astounded at how many times per page you'll exclaim, ‘I didn't know that!’ as you encounter marvelous fact after marvelous fact after marvelous fact, all of it presented with the irresistible delight of secrets revealed. I'm sure you'll be dipping into it over and over."
—Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English
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“Each chapter of Schott’s Significa is a dinner party next to a delightfully peculiar guest. With wit and precision, Ben Schott promotes a sense of wonder . . . A treat for any trivia-inclined reader!”
—Annie Rauwerda, founder of Depths of Wikipedia -
“Schott explains everything you want to know about everything you should need to know. . . . This is the Rosetta stone for modern times.”
—Graydon Carter, former editor of Vanity Fair and founder of Air Mail -
“This truly remarkable book is quite unlike any other work of etymology or entertainment. As with all of Ben Schott's works, the reader is left by turns amused and intrigued but always amazed, and asking, ‘How can he know all this stuff?!’”
—Andrew Roberts, historian -
“Tumble from one subculture to another, immerse yourself in the private code of each, delight in Ben Schott’s ingenious translation and, as you turn the elegantly designed pages, you’ll just watch your world get bigger. Rabbit holes are rarely this satisfying.”
—Adam Moss, author of The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing
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“I can't remember when I've gotten so much pure pleasure from a book—or learned so many amazing things from one. No bathroom or bedside table should be without a copy of Schott's Significa.”
—Jacob Weisberg, former Editor of Slate and co-founder of Pushkin Industries
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