The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Got this for Christmas, although for some reason, it was delayed. No matter, it was well worth the wait. I confess I haven't "finished it" because it is a dictionary of sorts, and I keep in the bathroom to read a bit at a time. Who cares. Move on. Physically, the book is beautiful, feels good in the hand, and is visually appealing, in a sort of well, in an alternate universe, this book could have magic and power. It should hum or have fairy sparks coming from it. It does have power, truly. This is a dictionary of words that don't exist but should, to describe the feeling of certain moments like looking wistfully out a windowpane that is dripping with rain. The words are carefully constructed, often with Latin roots, such that they SHOULD exist, and well, now they do. I think the title may be a bit misleading. This is not a volume designed to make one despair, to get the hankies out and boo-hoo along with the saddest songs one can think of. Rather, it is a poetic journey through fleeting moments and recognitions. For example: Echthesia: noun A state of confusion when your own internal sense of time doesn't seem to match the calendar--knowing that something just happened though it apparently took place seven years ago; or that you somehow built up decades of memories in the span of a year and a half. I sure have this and am delighted to have it put to words. I assumed my woogie sense of time was either early onset Alzheimer's or a byproduct of being the child of alcoholics. There's hope, then. Wildly creative and wise, these new words rearrange my brain a bit and make me yearn to write poetry. Unfortunately, to date, I don't seem to demonstrate an ability for same, but this would surely help. Poets? Writers? Dreamers? Bibliophiles? You need this dictionary. Ha-ha, pun intended, take not mine, but Mr. Koening's word for it!

I have been delighted with this book. The thoughts and feeling that the words invoke, keep me reading.

In days (20 October 2025), it'll be 11 yrs since John Koenig uploaded 'Sonder' on YT (26 October 2014) -- the first of his works I'd seen. There's a gravity to describing the voiceless but profound truths constantly around us. John's eloquently been collecting these insights over a decade now... and each entry deserves its own moment of silence... to ponder, feel the depth, to reflect on realisation it's been a hazy part of you only now coming into focus, with a name. Buying the Kindle version, have had a reference at my fingertips. Oddly reassuring, to refer by name, emotions that for decades to millions of years, were nameless. Like a shield against an all-enveloping dark, our purpose is to light a little. Easy five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is everything I hoped it would be. The words and definitions are thoughtful, well written, and ring all sorts of bells. If you don’t already know, the premise is that there are things we all experience or feel that we don’t exactly have words for, and this book sets out to provide them- which it does quite well. But beyond the word itself, it also explains and guides through some of the more elusive emotions that we live through, and does so with kindness, love and compassion. The book is divided into 6 chapters: 1. Between living and dreaming (seeing the world as it is) 2. The interior wilderness (defining who you are from the inside out) 3. Montage of attractions (finding shelter in the presence of others) 4. Faces in a crowd (catching glimpses of humanity from a distance) 5. Boats against the current (holding on in the rush of the moment) 6. Roll the bones (connecting the dots of a wide-open universe) Within each section the words are not listed alphabetically, but rather, thematically. As with any dictionary, I don’t think it’s meant to be read in order- you can if you want but I’ve been leafing through and skipping around. There is an index at the end which is alphabetical, in case you are looking for a particular word. The only thing I wish was different is that the pronunciations of each word are done with the emphasized syllable italicized instead of uppercase, which I don’t like but is a very tiny annoyance. Overall I would say this book is absolutely worth having, and reading!

I’ve honestly never reviewed a book before so this is my first one. With a background in teaching language arts in schools this book is very amusing. Definitely found a word for experiences I’ve never been able to describe. My husband and I enjoy opening this one up from time to time and read a couple pages together.

This book is a great idea and it's an interesting read but I was disappointed in the fact that it's all made up words. I was really hoping it included actual words from different languages that we don't have a descriptive word for in English.

A fun read for those who enjoy wordplay. Very nice hardcover with illustrative photos at the beginning of each section.

Lovely book divided into small sections. Very nicely written. Thoughtful.

Really lovely

Libro unico e sorprendente, promuove l'empatia riconoscendo sentimenti condivisi della condizione umana per cui nessun linguaggio ha parole, fino ad ora. acquistato a malincuore da Amazon , per un amico a Perugia. Anche se, preferirei non arricchire ulteriormente il multimiliardario e abusatore dei diritti dei lavoratori, dopo la brexit, non c'era altra opzione per regalare questo libro che cambia la vita dal Regno Unito. Sostieni invece la tua libreria locale X Unique and stunning book , promotes empathy by recognising shared feelings of the human condition that no language has words for , until now. Bought from Amazon Italy for a friend in Perugia. Even though, I would prefer not to enrich further the multi-billionaire , and abuser of workers rights, since brexit , there was no other option to gift this life changing book from the uk

Allereerst: het is een prachtig uitgevoerd boekje. Mooie hardcover, goed papier and prachtige lay-out. Gene boek om van kaft tot kaft in één keer door te lezen. Maar wel een boek om zeer regelmatig op te pakken en een paar bladzijden te lezen. Perfect cadeau ook voor mensen die 'talig' zijn.

El texto es muy interesante y visualmente es hermoso

This book is definitely one of the best and most beautiful works I have ever bought.