The Name's Familiar II

by Laura Lee

The fictional characters Dracula, Madeline, and Lois Lane were all inspired by real people. There really is a Nathan behind Nathan's hotdogs, a Cliff behind CliffsNotes, and an Anne behind Auntie Anne's, but J. Crew is just a figment of a marketing director's imagination. Monica, Sandra, Rita, and the other girls of "Mambo No. 5" fame are Lou Bega's real-life ex-girlfriends. For those of you who have wondered about these names and those who never...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565548221
• ISBN13: 9781565548220
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

More stories behind every name.

This concise, well-researched and entertaining reference is an engaging and informative way to meet the people behind the origins of some of today's most common words and familiar names. Written in a clear, conversational and often amusing style, it introduces the reader to more than 500 of the lighthearted, silly, fascinating, tragic or unbelievable stories of those who immortalized the names of Jergen's soap, Yale locks, Count Dracula, Fort Lauderdale, MGM pictures, Dell computers, Bose sound systems, Entenmann's cakes, LaCoste apparel, Listerine mouthwash, the Bermuda Triangle and Peter Pan, among others. The sources of some well-known eponyms (words derived from people's names) like algebra, hooligan, mesmerize, bogus, pamphlet and marmalade, as well as famous songs like "Barbara Ann" and "My Sharona," are also explained. All the entries are presented in alphabetical order, a perfect tool for either browsing or consulting. This book also improves upon its predecessor by expanding on some of the stories that were just briefly noted in that volume, and by adding a much-needed and deeply appreciated index. To add to your knowledge of name origins, I would recommend also buying the author's first volume in the series, "The Name's Familiar." Both are excellent, interesting and fun resources you will keep referring to again and again. --Reviewed by Maritza Volmar