The Literary Baby Name Book

By Tershia D'Elgin

This fascinating compendium includes approximately 1,000 names from the pages of great literary works--from epic poems and ballads to modern tales--andoffers an alternative for the book-loving, baby-naming parent who wants a truly special title for a beloved little creation.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425182207
• ISBN13: 9780425182208
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Great List of Literary Names

Not only did this book give us many names to add to our list of possibilities for our baby-to-be, it was also an interesting read. As a mom it was a great reminder of all the classic books I have read, and how much I loved (and hated) the characters within them (too little time to read until the kids get a bit older). This book lists names from ancient to contemporary with a little blurb on who that person was in what work. A wonderful way to choose a name that means something and just doesn't sound pretty. The only drawback was that not enough types of works were included, but that is a minor issue - everyone enjoys different types of literature, it would have been impossible to include them all to please everyone. To the person who thinks the names would be easily found online is mistaken. There were names from books I wouldn't have thought of to look up online - names on my list that I might not have come across otherwise. And that may have made a big difference in the name of my child.

Great gathering-together of literary names

I've always been interested in unusual names (though for girls more so than boys); in fact, the two girls' names which have been my favourites the longest are Easter and Echo. This book is for those of us who wouldn't mind naming a child Desdemona, Calliope, Lysander, or Perseus. The names in this book come from Shakespeare, Boccaccio, Dante, myths from Greece, Rome, Ireland, and Norway, and many other poems, plays, and novels from throughout history. Instead of having to look all over a bunch of books, like Shakespeare, Greek mythology, and 'The Decameron,' for example, you have all of these names right here, alphabetised and with little synopses of who this character was and what s/he did. Though the people who are into names like MacMadisonleigh and Quaitlynne probably won't like the names in this book, but who can argue with taste?