Richard Soule

author

Richard Soule

1812–1877

Best known for shaping practical reference books on English, this 19th-century American writer devoted his later years to helping readers choose words with more precision and confidence. His work on pronunciation, spelling, and synonyms made him a useful guide for students, teachers, and careful writers alike.

1 Audiobook

A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions Designed as a Practical Guide to Aptness and Variety of Phraseology

A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions Designed as a Practical Guide to Aptness and Variety of Phraseology

by Richard Soule

About the author

Richard Soule was an American lexicographer, born on June 8, 1812, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in 1832. Early in life he worked as a civil engineer, then spent years in the sugar-refining business before turning more fully to literary and editorial work.

He is remembered chiefly for reference books that aimed to make English clearer and more exact. Among the works associated with his name are A Dictionary of English Synonymes and Synonymous or Parallel Expressions and manuals on pronunciation and spelling, practical tools designed for everyday use in schools and by general readers.

Soule also helped supervise editorial work for Joseph E. Worcester's dictionaries, placing him close to some of the most important language-reference projects of his time. He died on December 25, 1877, leaving behind books that reflect a patient, useful kind of scholarship focused on how people actually use words.