Congratulations to Craig Conley, magician and eccentric scholar, on the publication of Magic Words: A Dictionary. It's a remarkable book, and a perfect gift for many people on my holiday list. Word lovers, writers, editors, magicians, or just anyone who appreciates a well-executed and obscure project will love to have a copy.

Also, I'm very pleased to say, this latest edition features a magical phrase that my wife and I created a few years ago. Visit Conley's Magic Words blog for a daily dose, and check out my review of an earlier edition for more details about my view.