Noah Webster: The Founder of American English

Noah Webster (1758-1843) was the first American lexicographer and the creator of the standard for American English, influencing more than three hundred million people. He gained fame shortly after the publication of his "blue book"—the "American Spelling Book" (1783). It sold by the thousands and served as the foundation for four generations of Americans.

In 1806, in the preface to his Concise Dictionary (37,000 words), Webster declared that "more people would speak American English than all other dialects of the language combined," at a time when the population of America barely exceeded six million. By the age of 70, he would complete his second American English dictionary (over 65,000 words), at which point, according to the 1830 census, nearly 13 million people resided in the young nation.

American historian Edward Charles Lester included Webster, the great teacher, in the American "Trinity of Fame" alongside Christopher Columbus (the discoverer) and George Washington (the savior).

Almost immediately after Noah Webster's death, his name became a brand, a generic term, symbolizing independent culture and "public domain." For this reason, all copyright claims from Merriam, the official rights holder for the works of Noah Webster, particularly against George W. Ogilvie, were deemed futile by the courts.

The hefty 2,300-page Webster’s by George W. Ogilvie, published in 1926, consistently attracts the attention of visitors to the Rare Book Museum at RUDN Library. The title page of this dictionary explicitly states that the publisher does not hold copyright. The library's main collection also includes modern Webster dictionaries from various publishers, including the "true" Webster: dictionaries for elementary, middle, and high schools, published by the official rights holder, Merriam-Webster.