I am searching for a book that I read between 1969 and 1975. By the time my mom bought it for me, I was already reading fairly well (I was born in 1968). It was a challenging book for me as it forced me to think about pronunciation, and below my level plotwise. The really remarkable thing about the text, though, was it was written phonetically. For instance, there was a plot line about seeing a bee, but the text was, “C D B?”
There were pictures on the same pages as the text. The pictures could have been a watercolor-style with soft edges, a bit like the PBS TV show Caillou. However, I don’t recall perfectly the illustrations/pictures.
The cover was yellow, it was a fairly thin volume, it might be considered a trade paperback measuring maybe 7″ x 7″ or 8″ x 8″. I don’t remember the title or the author.
I’m interested in finding this book because it helps demonstrate that abbreviation, like that used when texting, is not new.
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
William Steig actually did write a book like that called “C D B”. Could that be it? The illustrations sound right. I think he did a whole series of them.
I think this must be CDB! by William Steig
Yes, ‘CDB!’ by William Steig. There was also a sequel, ‘CDC?’ – though I think it was only black-and-white. They’re both delightful!
(Incidentally, you’re right on-target with the idea that abbreviation far predates texting. I’m a graduate student studying language-change and this is one counterargument we keep pulling out against those who are concerned that the English language is ‘in decline’ or becoming less expressive or something as a result of texting/teenagers/etc. No evidence for that viewpoint, fortunately. If you don’t already know it, may I suggest ‘Txtng: The G8 Db8’ by David Crystal?)
I have a sneaky suspicion that humans have been doing the shorthand thing for about as long as there has been spoken (and later, written) language.
Perhaps the progression is: new item/thing/concept which begets a term. That term then is shortened to a word, which is then later shortened to an abbreviation. Kinda like reducing fractions to their simplest form.
Try William Steig, CDB.
This is C D B!, by William Steig. The original had just black-and-white line drawings, but was later republished with full color illustrations. There is a wikipedia description of the book here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDB!
Thank you everyone for helping me to find this book. Now that I’ve seen the Wikipedia entry for the book’s cover, it is what I remember.
It’s somehow interesting, though exactly how, I’m not sure, that William Steig is the same author who penned Shrek….