John S. Farmer

author

John S. Farmer

A British lexicographer, writer, and spiritualist, John S. Farmer is best known for documenting the colorful history of slang. His wide-ranging work also explored spiritualism, psychical research, and the language of everyday life.

1 Audiobook

The regimental records of the British Army : a historical résumé chronologically arranged of titles, campaigns, honours, uniforms, facings, badges, nicknames, etc.

The regimental records of the British Army : a historical résumé chronologically arranged of titles, campaigns, honours, uniforms, facings, badges, nicknames, etc.

by John S. Farmer

About the author

John S. Farmer was a British lexicographer, writer, and spiritualist. He is best known for Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present, a landmark seven-volume dictionary of slang written with William Ernest Henley and published between 1890 and 1904.

Farmer also edited spiritualist publications, including Light and the Psychological Review, and took an active interest in psychical research. He defended the medium William Eglinton and wrote Twixt Two Worlds, an 1886 account of Eglinton’s life and work.

His other publications included Americanisms, Old and New, Spiritualism as a New Basis of Belief, and How to Investigate Spiritualism. Through his reference works and commentary, Farmer preserved an unusually rich record of Victorian language and beliefs.