(Union Square & Co., 2024)

“A great idea, beautifully realized. I shall never have a latte again without thinking of this book! A joy to read.” –David Crystal, Linguist and Author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language.

“Like bringing a blurry image into focus, the fine distinctions we make in English sharpen our view of the world. Eli Burnstein‘s witty explanations clarify our choice of words and remind us that, with language, precision is its own reward.” –Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large, Merriam Webster.

Swamp or bog? Guilt or shame? Club soda or sparkling water? From food to fashion, ethics to architecture, there are thousands of words and ideas that we tend to collapse, conflate, or confuse. For hairsplitters and language lovers, Dictionary of Fine Distinctions explores the world of the vanishingly small, offering up witty deep dives and lively illustrations to help sharpen these differences and bring us clarity at last.

Eli Burnstein is a humor writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, Weekly Humorist, The Offing, and Points in Case. He runs a spelling bee (Spelling Bae) that has been featured in the Toronto Star and the National Post, and on CBC Radio. For more on Eli, please visit eliburnstein.com.