Riassunto
Riassunto di Un sottaceto per i sapienti
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love oddities, American folk history and writing that breaks every rule, and anyone curious about early New England character.
Che cos’è questo libro
A Pickle for the Knowing Ones is a small book of rants, boasts and complaints, printed in 1802. Its author, Timothy Dexter, was a merchant from Newburyport, Massachusetts, who grew rich through speculation and a run of lucky deals. He paid for the printing himself and handed copies out. His aim was to tell the world what he thought of it, and what he thought of himself.
What you get is stranger than most books. There are no commas or full stops in the first printing, and words are spelled as Dexter heard them in his head. Later printings added a page of punctuation marks, with a note telling readers to place them wherever they liked. Along the way you meet a man who named himself a lord and a philosopher, and who grumbled about politicians, clergy and his own wife. Let us start with the man himself.
In questo riassunto
- 1A tanner's boy becomes a self-made lordFree
- 2Spelling and punctuation are left to the reader
- 3Complaints about politics, clergy and wife
- 4Boasts that name him the greatest philosopher
- 5Luck, legends and a fortune made by accident
- 6Why a rude little book has lasted
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A tanner's boy becomes a self-made lord
Timothy Dexter was born in 1747 in Malden, Massachusetts, into a poor farming family. As a boy he left school early and worked as a farmhand. He was then apprenticed to a leather dresser, a trade that taught him the value of steady work.
After his apprenticeship he moved to Newburyport, a busy seaport north of Boston. There he married Elizabeth Frothingham, a widow with some property. The match gave him a foothold in the town's trading life. He soon began to buy and sell goods and paper money.
His first real fortune came from buying up government securities after the Revolutionary War. Many people thought these notes were nearly worthless, and sold them cheap. Dexter bought them in bulk. When the new national government agreed to honor its war debts, his holdings rose sharply in value, and he became a wealthy man.
Wealth did not make him quiet. He gave himself the title Lord Timothy Dexter and bought a large house on High Street in Newburyport. The town, which had old money and settled manners, mostly saw him as a joke. The book is his answer to that treatment, and it shows a man who wanted respect and did not know how to ask for it.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 13,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Un sottaceto per i sapienti
What is A Pickle for the Knowing Ones about?
It is a short collection of rants, boasts and opinions by Timothy Dexter. He complains about politicians, clergy and his wife, praises himself, and tells readers what he thinks of the world around him.
Why does A Pickle for the Knowing Ones have no punctuation?
The first printing left out punctuation and used sound-based spelling. A later printing added a page of marks and told readers to place them as they pleased, which works as a joke and a dare.
Who was Timothy Dexter?
He was an eccentric merchant from Newburyport, Massachusetts, who grew rich from speculation. He called himself Lord Timothy Dexter, built a house filled with statues, and died in 1806.
What does the title mean?
A pickle is a tight spot or puzzle, and the knowing ones are people who think they understand everything. Dexter offers them a riddle to chew on.
Is A Pickle for the Knowing Ones hard to read?
No. It is a short book, and it reads like one lively man talking. Dexter pours out his boasts and complaints about politicians, clergy and his wife, so each page gives you a clear, loud voice and a plain mood to follow.