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Digging in
You know you are really digging in to a topic when you buy a specialist dictionary for the task. And so I am now the proud owner of the second edition of the Concise Scots Dictionary. I have a range of physical dictionaries – the classic monster Oxford English Dictionary, a dictionary of slang, one for quotations and then French and Spanish dictionaries – but to be honest, I rarely use them these days thanks to the internet. Niche dictionaries are different though; their contents aren’t readily available online. And since I’m writing a book about a Scotsman born in the 1840s who proudly retained and used his Scots dialect,…
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“Keep Busy, Best Motto”: Golden Gate Park Creator (Part 1)
John McLaren’s Life – A Saga of City’s Sand Dunes Wednesday, January 13, 1943 The Call-Bulletin presents herewith the first of a series of intimate articles portraying the life of “Uncle” John McLaren, creator of Golden Gate Park and helpmate of nature here for a generation. J Lawrence Toole, noted newspaperman, wrote his biography before he preceded his friend and subject in death. By J. Lawrence Toole Run out, the city editor had said casually, and sit down with John McLaren and get him to reminisce a bit about himself and Golden Gate Park. He’s more than ninety years old and has superintendent of the park for more than half…
