Happy Birthday Noah Webster (October 16, 1758)!
Webster published his first dictionary in 1806, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary; it took twenty-six years to complete. This edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language is one of the first 2,500 copies printed in 1828, published by S. Converse. John Jay Homestead also owns the 1847 and 1852 editions of Webster’s Dictionary, published by George and Charles Merriam.