John S. Farmer

author

John S. Farmer

Best known for a landmark seven-volume dictionary of slang, this British writer and lexicographer explored the lively edges of language. His work still stands out for its curiosity about everyday speech and colloquial expression.

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

Born in 1854, John Stephen Farmer was a British lexicographer, writer, and spiritualist who published under the name J. S. Farmer. He is most closely associated with Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present, a major multi-volume reference work that gathered slang and colloquial language from Britain, America, and beyond.

Farmer also edited and wrote books on subjects ranging from regimental history to older English drama and popular verse. That mix of interests gives his work a wide, energetic feel: he was drawn both to scholarly research and to the rougher, more colorful side of language.

He died in 1916, but his reputation has lasted because of the scale and ambition of his lexicographical work. For listeners interested in language history, social history, or unusual reference books, he remains an engaging figure from the late Victorian and Edwardian literary world.