Epithets the Book

David K Ross

Epithets the Book is a publication in list form, comprised entirely of epithets. An epithet is a short phrase used to describe a distinguishing characteristic of a person or thing. It is part nickname, part brand name, part historical fact, part mythology.

The book uses the alphabet as an orienting device, permitting uncanny and often humorous juxtapositions of names to occur. The small format of the publication (110x165mm, 64 pages) lends itself to associations with pocket travel guides, portable dictionaries and instruction manuals. Though far from being declarative, definable, or didactic, Epithets the Book aims to function as a kind of self-directed found poem, a paean to the power of language and of chance findings, the quirks of history, and the compulsion to categorize human and non-human behaviours be they good, bad, or otherwise.